Someone You Trust
by alightintheshadows
Summary: Without the Symbol of Peace, previously dormant villains are now on the rise, including a notorious quirk trafficking ring. Determined to track them down before any more kids go missing, Eraserhead runs into an unfortunately familiar face. Parental!Aizawa.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm back to try my hand at a multi-chapter fic for the My Hero Academia fandom! I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while. I thought it was about time to make it a reality! This will take place just after the Provisional License Exam Arc. As far as length goes for this story…well…I'm honestly not quite sure, but I guess we'll find out together. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

"Thanks again, Eraserhead!"

Shouta mumbled something close to "you're welcome" as the plucky young police officer escorted one of the two handcuffed criminals to the car, his elder partner following close behind with the other. The older man chuckled.

"I was beginning to think you heroes wouldn't see any action tonight," he said as he turned and waved at the erasure hero. "Have a good rest of your shift, Eraser."

Shouta nodded and watched as the two officers put the young boys in the back of the car and drove off. He took a deep breath before throwing his scarf to nearest warehouse and catapulting himself to the roof. The cool night wind whipped his hair back as he walked to the other side, crouching down and scanning the surrounding area.

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't had the same thoughts as that police officer. Much to his surprise, it had been a relatively quiet shift. The only action he'd seen occurred just minutes ago.

Not that a drug deal could _really _be considered action. Well, not until one of the perpetrators tried to stab him without even considering the possibility he could be attacking a pro hero. Subduing them both hardly took any effort on his part. Overall, it had been a relatively uneventful patrol.

However, he couldn't get himself to regret picking up this extra shift.

***two days ago***

_He trudged down the hall toward the conference room. He paused just outside the room, already hearing the multitude of voices just beyond the door. He sighed and opened it. His colleagues filled the chairs set up throughout the room, and from the looks of it, he was one of the last to arrive. He looked around, spotting the familiar bird-like hairstyle almost instantly. As expected, there was an empty chair right next to Hizashi. The man beamed at him as he sat down beside him. _

"_Shouta! Good to see you so bright and chipper this early in the morning! Did you listen to—"_

"_Looks like we're all here," Nezu announced as he stood up._

_Internally grateful that Yuuei's principal had saved him from Hizashi chatting his ear off about last night's radio show, he turned his attention to the front of the room. _

"_As I'm sure you remember from our staff meeting last week, Yasunari Umeji was spotted leaving Heathrow Airport in London."_

_He could feel Hizashi tense next to him, his usual grin fading from his face. A suffocating blanket covered the entirety of the conference room at the mention of the man. _

"_I received a call from Ketsubutsu Academy last night," Nezu continued. "Two first-year students never showed up for class yesterday morning. Both had transformation quirks. Their parents saw them leave, so the police have concluded they were abducted on their way to school."_

_His blood ran cold, the story seeming all too familiar. Hizashi leaned in close to him._

"_Do you think it's Yasunari's ring?" he whispered._

_As if the principal heard him, he spoke up again._

"_The police are still conducting their investigation on the matter. Until we're certain who's behind this, we will be postponing all school trips until further notice. The students won't be permitted to leave campus except in the event of an emergency, in which case a teacher will escort them. Are there any questions?"_

***present***

Yasunari Umeji.

That was a name he hadn't heard in a while. Years actually. Though he was certain every single hero in that room wouldn't forget him. He knew he and Iida Tensei definitely wouldn't.

He was responsible for their first major raid as pro heroes, after all.

_Tensei took a deep breath and smiled, finally putting on his helmet._

"_You ready, Eraserhead?"_

He almost grinned when he recalled Tensei's enthusiasm before raiding the warehouse. Having just graduated and signing on with their agencies only a couple years previously, there hadn't been an instance where either hero had been specifically requested by name.

Sixteen kids across Musutafu had been reported missing, ages varying from six to seventeen-years-old. They each had very different quirks, but he remembered the majority of them had either emitter or transformation quirks. No bodies had been found, so the public kept holding on to hope that the children were still alive. The longer the children were missing, the more heroes the Musutafu police roped into assisting with the investigation.

No one had the slightest idea where the kids could be until the police got a tip from a couple of warehouse workers from an industrial park on the far east side of the city. The two had gotten off late one night and saw one of the overhead doors to the warehouse next to theirs open and a truck drove in. While that normally wouldn't have been anything worth noting, but their company hadn't used that warehouse in the last two years.

It seemed to be the perfect place to hide a bunch of children.

The police finally had their first lead. He and Ingenium were called for the raid along with All Might, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist, just to name a few of the pros they were joining. He couldn't deny that he'd been a bit honored to be called in on this mission.

***ten years previously***

"_You two better keep up."_

_He glanced at Tensei and they both followed Endeavor around to the back of the warehouse. His friend's hands clenched into fists, but he remained silent. As much as the comment was unnecessary, Endeavor was right. This may be a dead end, but it was the first chance they had of finding any of the missing kids. _

_They couldn't afford to screw up._

_Endeavor held up a hand when they reached the back. The trio was silent until they heard a massive bang from within the warehouse. Without hesitation, Endeavor incinerated the overehead door, the two young heroes rushing in only a second after._

_It was silent._

_Stacks of boxes and crates lined the walls and were scattered all over the floor. He could see All Might's group coming in from the other side of the warehouse. No one attacked them as they made their way across the floor._

_Whoever had been here was gone._

_Despite the unexpected development, he followed Tensei when his friend bolted toward the offices. He stopped at one of the doors while Tensei continued down the hall. Twisting the doorknob, he was surprised to find it unlocked. Erasure activated, he entered, but quickly found his quirk unnecessary. The previously abandoned office was completely bare except for a mattress against the back wall. A tray containing a half-eaten sandwich sat by the door, indicating someone had definitely just been there. _

"_Dammit!" _

_He ran to the next room, again finding the door unlocked. Like the last room, there was a single mattress against the back wall, but a small figure was sprawled out across this one._

"_I've got one!" Tensei called._

"_I do too!" he answered back._

_He rushed to his knees and turned the young girl on her back, careful not to knock over the makeshift IV set up beside her mattress. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady and even. He glanced to the bag of fluid, assuming it to be some sort of sedative considering the girl didn't even stir when she was moved. He removed the needle from the crook of her arm, but froze when he got a good look at her. _

_She wasn't one of the kids from the news reports or pictures he'd been shown during the briefing._

_That didn't matter. He had to get her out of here. He slipped his arms under her knees and back and quickly exited the room, nearly running into Tensei as he zoomed by with another unconscious kid in his arms. Endeavor and All Might rounded a corner and ran toward him. He motioned down the hall with his head._

"_Check the other offices. That's where they're keeping the kids."_

_Both heroes nodded and rushed down the hall. He carried the young girl out of the warehouse. Grateful that the police had an ambulance on stand-by, he handed her over to the medics. More pros emerged from the warehouse, only a few carrying children. _

_He sighed and lifted up his goggles to rub his eyes. As the last of the pros joined them outside, he only saw seven children recovered, and they don't even know who abducted them. He snapped his head up when he heard someone approaching him._

"_Follow me."_

_He didn't have the chance to protest before Tensei grabbed his arm. The two snuck away from the other pros and police officers, his friend waiting until they were a few buildings away before speaking again._

"_Get on the rooftops. Whoever was in that warehouse left in a rush if they left some of the kids behind. There's a chance they might still be in the vicinity."_

_He nodded before throwing up his scarf and swinging up on top of the nearest building. He silently ran and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, having to move quickly to keep up with Tensei. He paused when they reached the last building. Scanning the area one last time, he saw three figures sprinting toward the fence surrounding the industrial park. His eyes widened when he saw the gate opening._

_How could he nearly miss them?_

"_Ingenium, north gate!" _

_Even from the roof, he could hear the blast from Tensei's engines. He wrapped his scarf around the closest telephone pole and swung himself down. Eyes wide and quirk activated, he sprinted toward the gate without taking his eyes of their targets. He saw one of them look to the side, seeing the turbo hero coming in from his left. He stuck his hand out._

"_What the hell?" he heard the man shout._

_The man had obviously been banking on using his quirk. Unable to slow down, Tensei tackled the man and the two tumbled across the ground. He was now close enough to throw his capture weapon to the men still running, wrapping them up instantly. He blinked before activating his quirk again. Tensei dragged his catch back into his line of sight. His eyes burned, but he forced them to remain open. He had to. They couldn't risk any of these men escaping._

_They had to get some answers and find the rest of the missing kids._

***present***

Shouta grimly remembered leaving the police station after the three men he and Tensei caught had been interrogated. Unfortunately, they weren't as helpful as the two heroes had hoped. He wouldn't go as far to say their efforts to capture them had been in vain; however, the information the police discovered was far from anything they or any pro hero wanted to imagine.

First of all, three of the seven rescued children were from Tokyo and were just reported missing a couple days prior to the raid, so twelve kids were still missing from Musutafu alone. Second of all, they weren't dealing with just a couple of villains.

Yasunari Umeji, previously wanted for drug and arms trafficking, had been the mastermind behind it all. He'd apparently decided to expand his empire to include quirk trafficking. He offered his services and resources to villains and underground organizations to provide them with children to recruit or experiment on as his clients demanded. Just a few months before the raid, he'd moved his ring's base to Musutafu. From a business stand point, that was a smart move. Some of the greatest hero schools in all of Japan were in this city. There was certainly no shortage of children with powerful quirks.

It made Shouta sick to think that someone would rip these children away from their families just for money, even to this day. It didn't surprise him, though.

The three men they'd captured were just hired as guards for their base, so they had no connection or information on any of Yasunari's clients. They weren't even aware the ring leader had abandoned the base before the raid. Aside from a few names and basic descriptions, they couldn't give the police anything to identify the other members of the ring. They had no information on where Yasunari or the rest of his men could have gone. They had no information on where the rest of the kids could have gone or who bought them.

And ten years later, they were still missing…but so was the ring.

Assuming Yasunari would try to flee the country after nearly getting caught, every airport in Japan doubled their security, but that did nothing to stop the man from leaving. He was spotted in the United States before disappearing. From what Shouta gathered, increasing security didn't stop him from re-entering the country either.

Until the staff meeting earlier this week, the rest of the ring had been thought to be disbanded; however, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they might return. More villains—both new and old—had been gaining more confidence in the wake of All Might's retirement. Despite having his usual patrol the previous night, he didn't hesitate to step up and take another in one of the industrial parks several kilometers south of Yuuei. It might have been inconvenient, but necessary. Since two students from Ketsubutsu have already gone missing, the police needed as many heroes on patrol as possible to cover the entire city.

A small clang got brought him out of his thoughts. He looked to his right, just in time to see a figure disappearing around the corner of another warehouse. His brow furrowed.

_Was there another dealer?_

He threw his scarf to the next warehouse and jumped. He swung through the air, blinking as the rush of air caused his eyes to water. Even for that brief moment, he almost missed it. A silver flash caught his eye, and another followed right after.

Then his stomach lurched into his throat.

He barely saw the tatters of his capture weapon before hurtling into the side of the warehouse. He grunted upon impact and tried to ignore the agony exploding from his right shoulder. Desperately, he threw what remained of his scarf toward the roof, but it came up just short.

Nothing could stop him from plummeting to the ground.

He fought the urge to clutch his shoulder as he relaxed his body. Landing on the balls of his feet, he tucked and rolled forward on his uninjured shoulder to his back. He only had the briefest moment to be grateful that he escaped this fall with only a dislocated shoulder when he heard footsteps.

He didn't even have the chance to get up before someone forcibly turned him onto his stomach and perched himself on his back. He tried to turn to look at his attacker and activate his quirk, but a strong hand forced his head down on the pavement. Unable to bite back a groan as his injured shoulder was jostled, his wrists were wrenched behind his back and handcuffed.

"Cover his eyes," he heard someone order, the voice not belonging to either man holding him down.

_How many of these people are there?_

Dread pooled in his stomach when the hand on his head yanked his goggles from his eyes and a dark cloth replaced it. A second later, the weight on his back disappeared. His utility belt and remains of his capture weapon were confiscated before a pair of hands pulled him to his feet and dragged him further into the industrial park. An onslaught of footsteps followed them.

_From what I can hear, there's a lot of them. They knew to blindfold me. They took my belt and capture weapon. They have to know who they just caught._

That definitely wasn't a good sign, but he couldn't dwell on it. Not now.

The iron grip on his arms didn't give in the slightest when he tried to twist out of his attackers' hold. He next tried digging his heels into the ground. That slowed them down for a moment, but he heard two sets of footsteps quicken their pace. They grabbed his legs, the four men resorting to carrying the struggling erasure hero.

He heard the metallic grating of an overhead door opening, but the sound only lasted a few seconds. If he had to guess, it was only open enough for the group to enter one of the warehouses. The door was quickly shut. He listened closely, surprised to find the place relatively quiet.

"I see you were successful!"

Shouta automatically turned his head toward the voice. Suddenly, the men carrying his legs dropped them and he was forced to his knees.

"It's an honor to meet you, Eraserhead!" the voice continued. "I'd never even heard of you until you and Ingenium captured some of my guards, but you've grown quite the reputation over the last few years. I couldn't believe my luck when I heard you were patrolling the area. This isn't a part of your usual route, is it?"

_Yasunari Umeji._

It had to be.

His heart sunk as his earlier suspicions were confirmed when the man called him by name. He was targeted and he definitely didn't want to think about the reason why.

"I'm afraid I need—"

"No."

He heard the slap before he registered his cheek stinging and his head whipping to the side. A firm grip on his chin turned his head forward again.

"As I was saying, I'm afraid I need something from you," he continued. "My clients were ecstatic to hear that I'd returned to Musutafu, which sure as hell wasn't an easy feat. They've had their eyes on some of your students for quite a while now. Until the pro heroes raided my warehouse ten years ago, I dutifully exceeded all my clients' expectations and I'm eager to keep up my reputation. This would be much easier if your students weren't living on Yuuei's campus, but we're nothing if not flexible."

The grip on his chin tightened, enough so that the erasure hero had to fight to hold back a wince.

"We know Yuuei increased its security once the students moved into the dormitories and that _you_ played a major role in its design. You're going to tell us the location of every security camera and how to disarm every alarm between the gates and the dorms. We're also going to need a layout of Heights Alliance as well as all information you have on your students' quirks. We may have seen them in action at the Sports Festival, but I know there's much more to them that we don't know and it's common courtesy for us to provide our clients with all the information we have available on their purchases."

"No," Shouta declared, his voice slightly louder than the last time he spoke.

He didn't know how Yasunari knew he helped design Yuuei's new security system. He didn't care. All he knew was that there wasn't any chance the man would lay a hand on any of the students.

Yasunari chuckled. He could feel his captor leaning in close enough for the man's breath to ghost over his face.

"Being stubborn will only delay the inevitable, Eraser. I will get the information I need. I'll even make your job easier for you and narrow down the list of students. As much as I'd like to hear more about them all to advertise potential products for my clients, I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time."

_How dare he talk about my students that way?_

"We need everything you know about Bakugou Katsuki, Uraraka Ochako, Tokoyami Fumikage…."

He barely heard the man over the sound of his heart pounding in his chest. His hands clenched into fists behind his back, palms stinging from his nails digging into the flesh.

"…Iida Tenya, Asui Tsuyu…"

Despite being blindfolded, he shut his eyes.

"…Todoroki Shouto…."

_He doesn't actually believe I'll help him abduct my own students, does he?_

"…Yaoyorozu Momo, Kirishima Eijiro…."

Blood streamed down his palms. He forced himself to take a deep breath.

"…Midoriya Izuku…."

He tried to pull his head away, but Yasunari's grip remained firm.

"…and Shinsou Hitoshi. Feel free to start with whoever you'd like. We can get into security detail later."

He remained silent, his body tensing as the rage continued coursing through his veins.

_He doesn't have any right to even mention their names. He's not getting any information from me._

_He's sure as hell not getting my students._

He heard Yasunari sigh, the man finally releasing his chin. A foot collided with his stomach a second later. He couldn't stop the pained grunt from escaping him, slumping over as much as the men holding his arms would allow him to and desperately trying to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him. A hand fisted in his hair and yanked his head back up.

"You've caught me in a good mood, Eraser. You've got one more chance before—"

Yasunari was interrupted by the overhead door opening once again, only for a few seconds. A new set of footsteps as whoever entered made their way further into the warehouse.

"I was wondering why you requested my presence at this hour," the newcomer chuckled, "but I suppose my question is already answered."

The erasure hero tensed and his blood froze in his veins, his eyes widening behind the blindfold. Yasunari released the grip on his hair and stepped back from his captive. The footsteps came to a halt at his side and he felt a hand on the back of his head.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Yasunari asked.

"It's fine. Trust me, he's only dangerous if you're going to rely on your quirk."

The knot was untied and the blindfold was then removed. He almost wished it was put back on. He recognized Yasunari despite never actually seeing the man in person before. The shoulder-length brown hair was fairly memorable, even just from what few photos the Musutafu police had of him. Even though it had been ten years, the man looked like he hadn't aged a day.

"I have to say I wasn't expecting to run into you here, Eraser," came the voice from his right.

Shouta clamped his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. Yasunari laughed and moved next to the newcomer, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"I had a feeling you'd be a bit stubborn, but I knew the right person could get the information out of you. And who better than a familiar face? I knew Yamada—or _Present Mic,_ I should say—would be perfect for the job."

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and looked to his right. Despite hearing the distinctive voice, his stomach dropped when he saw Hizashi standing next to the notorious ring leader.

_This can't be possible._

His friend had abandoned his usual flamboyant clothing for just a pair of faded gray jeans and black long-sleeved shirt, not appearing much different than Yasunari. He wasn't even aware Hizashi owned anything so dull. The blond had settled for taking his hair down from its usual style and replacing his sunglasses with a pair of simple black frames.

He wasn't sure any of the students would recognize their English teacher like this. Hell, if he hadn't been Hizashi's friend for fifteen years, _he _wasn't sure if he'd recognize him.

_This has to be a mistake. This has to be a huge misunderstanding. He can't be a part of this._

Hizashi shrugged off Yasunari's hand and squatted down so he was eye-level with the erasure hero. He flashed Shouta a grim smile.

"Looks like we've got a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"This isn't you," Shouta whispered.

_Hizashi wouldn't have anything to do with this ring. He would never even consider putting our students in danger. This has to be a misunderstanding._

The voice hero shook his head.

"I was hoping you wouldn't get dragged into this, Eraser, but I'm afraid it couldn't be avoided. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's in your best interest to cooperate."

_Hizashi isn't really one of them. He can't be. Did he manage to infiltrate the ring? That's the only logical explanation…._

…_but Yasunari would know better than to trust a hero._

Hizashi straightened up. Yasunari nodded to the men holding his arms.

"Take him to one of the holding cells," he instructed. "We'll be there in a few minutes to start a more formal interrogation."

It was Shouta's turn to shake his head.

_He's not really part of Yasunari's ring. He couldn't have been ten years ago. He can't be now._

"Mic, this isn't you."

_He's just playing a role. I have to make it believable. Hizashi wouldn't delay calling the police or other pro heroes without a valid reason, would he?_

He was yanked to his feet. Ignoring the pain blossoming from his dislocated shoulder, he railed against the arms dragging him away.

"Mic, I know you! You'd never do this to the students!" he yelled as two of his captors struggled to maintain their hold on him.

His wrists may still be cuffed behind him, but now he could see. One of the other men made to grab at his legs, but he lashed out and landed a kick to his attacker's ribs. He twisted his body to aim another kick to the man at his left. Someone else wrapped their arms around his waist from behind. He flung his head back and heard the satisfying crunch of a broken nose and swearing from whoever was behind him.

Hizashi sighed and stalked over to one of the numerous stacks of crates and grabbed a syringe.

"Hold him still," he ordered.

One of the arms around Shouta's waist moved to wrap in a tight hold around his neck, cutting off his air supply. He could feel drops of blood landing on top of his head, but the man maintained his grip on him. Someone else managed to get a hold on his legs as he struggled to breathe. He watched with wide eyes as Hizashi approached and didn't hesitate to plunge the syringe into his shoulder. The blond leaned in close to his ear.

"Save your strength, Shouta."

It was so quiet that the erasure hero wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not. He could feel the contents of the syringe coursing through his veins. The arm around his neck disappeared, finally allowing him to catch his breath, but it didn't matter. Whatever was in that syringe took affect instantly. His limbs grew heavy and his head fell toward his chest.

Since he could no longer put up a struggle, his captors were easily able to drag him away.

He fought to lift his head one last time. He saw Hizashi turn back to Yasunari, who slung an arm around his shoulders and steered him toward another stack of crates.

"Mic…." he mumbled.

The man didn't hear him, or couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him if he did. His friend never looked back.

He couldn't fight against the sedative any longer. He completely sagged in his captors' arms and his vision went black.

_This has to be some sort of mistake._

**Well, there's chapter one! I certainly hope you all enjoyed it. As always, constructive criticism is welcome as this is my first time writing some of these characters and I would love to know where I can improve. Hopefully next chapter will answer some questions that may have arisen in this one. Until then!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'm back with another chapter! I'm so grateful for the response to the first one and I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it! Well, on with the story!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

Shouta's mind was foggy as he slowly returned to consciousness. He was further awoken by his throbbing shoulder and aching neck. Unable to stop himself, he let out a pained groan when he attempted to move.

"Shouta?"

It took more effort than he was willing to admit, but he opened his eyes at the voice. Due to the fact he was sitting upright and couldn't move his arms, he concluded that he was sitting in a chair and his arms were cuffed behind the back. He couldn't move his legs either. After shifting again, he figured that his ankles had been bound to the legs of the chair. From the looks of it, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

A surprisingly gentle hand cupped his chin and tilted his head up from its resting place on his chest. He met Hizashi's eyes and noticed the relieved smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're awake, Sho'. I was starting to worry I'd given you too much of that sedative. I convinced Yasunari to give me some time alone with you, but he was getting rather impatient when he kept checking in and you hadn't woken up yet."

"What's…wh-what's going on?" he slurred.

He blinked a couple of times, as if that would clear the rest of the fog clouding his mind. His friend's hand moved from his chin to his left cheek, his smile turning into a grimace as his feather light touch traced over what must have been a bruise.

"I'm sorry about this. I really am. Yasunari didn't originally plan to capture you, but you happened to be on patrol in the area and he couldn't let this opportunity pass. He knows you're stubborn, but he's confident enough to think he can get what he needs from you." Hizashi's eyes trailed to his shoulder, then back to the bruise on his face. "I…I didn't want to see you get hurt, but I'm afraid it's a little late for that."

More aware now, Shouta leaned as much as he could to the side to peer around Hizashi. The door was closed. The only other thing in the room was another chair across from his.

They were alone.

"Mic, what's going on?" he asked again, making sure to keep his voice low.

Hizashi sat down in the chair across from him. He crossed his arms and leaned back. His gaze shifted to the ground, unable to look his friend in the eye.

"You need to tell us where every security camera is or how to disable the entire system. I know you know how to do it."

The captive hero shook his head.

"You wouldn't be involved in this without a reason—"

"Shouta," Hizashi interrupted, a cold edge to his tone. "I just told you that I didn't want to see you get hurt, and you won't anymore if you tell us how to disable the security system in the dorms and which students are in which rooms. Yasunari told you which students our clients ordered, correct?"

_This can't be happening. Yamada Hizashi would never endanger the students like this. This has to be a mistake._

"Asui and Iida surprised me, to be completely honest," he chuckled, his usual demeanor returning as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think I can recall any past orders for kids with mutant quirks. Todoroki was a shock as well considering our clients usually stay away from children of well-known pro heroes, but I'm not paid to question our clients' decisions."

Rage surged through Shouta's veins at the mention of his students. He strained against the cuffs holding him to the chair, feeling the metal biting into his skin.

_How can he talk about the students like this? _

"Mic, this has gone on long enough. Tell me what's going on."

Hizashi took a deep breath, the grim smile from when he first entered the warehouse returning.

"Nothing."

_Nothing._

Shouta slouched back against the chair when the answer sunk in. The blond stood, towering over the erasure hero. He placed his hands gently on his friend's shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted you to find out I was a part of the ring, and especially not like this." He tilted his head to the side. "I'm sure this has to be difficult for you to process."

"You're a hero…." It sounded so naïve to Shouta's ears, and maybe it was, but his friend of fifteen years couldn't possibly be a villain. "No hero would willingly work with someone like Yasunari, Mic."

Hizashi merely shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know what to tell you other than I'm sorry."

_This can't be real._

"Does he have something on you?"

_We're alone. Why isn't he telling me why he's here? I could help him._

"I'm afraid not," Hizashi chuckled again. "I know you're racking your brain for some sort of explanation, but there isn't one. Ten years ago, I was presented with an opportunity I felt that I couldn't refuse. That's all. It seems to have presented itself again after all this time, and I'm going to take full advantage of that." He leaned in closer to Shouta. "No one coerced me. I made this decision on my own. You don't want to accept that. I understand, but that's reality."

Shouta's brow furrowed.

_None of this makes any sense. Hizashi wanted nothing more than to be a hero. There's no possible way he could have gotten involved in this ring, especially not ten years ago._

"Mic, I know you—"

"Not as well as you thought you did." The grip on his good shoulder tightened. "But one thing hasn't changed: I was your friend, Shouta. I have always truly cared about you. That's why I warned you it's in your best interest to cooperate. I don't want to hurt you, but I have a job to do. I'll do whatever it takes to get the information we need."

"Why don't you go get the students yourself?" Shouta asked, unable to keep the bite out of his tone.

The hands fell off his shoulders.

"I suggested the idea. The students trust me, so it wouldn't be difficult to get them alone." The words made the homeroom teacher sick to his stomach. "The only problem is Nezu kept me away from the dorms. I don't know anything about their security. We have men working to hack in and disable the system, but it's taking much longer than they anticipated. Yasunari doesn't want me to lose my position at Yuuei, so I can't risk being seen on the security footage or by other faculty and students."

_He's right. Only a few teachers were involved with the dorm construction and security design. Did Nezu suspect something after Kamino Ward? Maybe even before then?_

That wasn't the only question on his mind.

_If Yasunari wants Hizashi to keep his position at Yuuei…._

The grip on his chin returned and tilted his head up.

"I can see that mind of yours working. I know what you're thinking, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. You have the information we need, so start talking."

The erasure hero looked deep into Hizashi's green eyes. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the response, but he spoke up anyway.

"Hizashi, think about what you're asking me to do."

He was rarely one to break professionalism, but he didn't have much of a choice. He had to see if he could snap his friend out of it.

"I have."

_He specifically requested time alone with me. He's had the opportunity to tell me what's going on, but he hasn't. He understands what he's asking me to do even though…._

"Then you should already know I won't cooperate," he quipped right back.

Hizashi released his grip on his chin. He took a step back from the captive hero and crossed his arms. A tense silence surrounded the two friends until the blond gathered the nerve to break it.

"Do you remember Ouji Takara?"

Hizashi's abrupt question caused his brows to furrow, but he nodded. Of course he did. How could he forget her? Takara was the girl Tensei rescued the night of the raid. Her mother was the only witness to any of the kids' abductions.

Unfortunately, the only witness had her throat slit when she got off work early and returned during the home invasion.

"Yasunari doesn't leave witnesses. I know you want to protect them, but we will retrieve our clients' orders one way or another. Think of it this way: you'd be saving some of your students. If you tell us where their rooms are, we can be in and out quickly. There'd be less of a chance of those not on the list waking up and interrupting us. They'll be left alone."

Shouta closed his eyes, as if that would block out Hizashi's words.

"You're asking me to help Yasunari abduct my students."

"I'm telling you how to save the others," Hizashi corrected. "Think about this logically, Shouta. None of your students would just let us take their classmates if they woke up while we were still there. The stunt your students pulled to save Bakugou is proof of that. Yasunari doesn't want us to kill potential products if we can help it, but we will if they interfere. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Shouta opened his eyes, but remained silent. That was his only option until someone realized he was missing. He inwardly smirked at the thought.

_They probably think they're lucky I was patrolling their industrial park on a Saturday night. Classes aren't in session tomorrow, after all. They probably think they have at least until Monday morning before anyone realizes I'm missing._

Hizashi sighed. The slight smugness welling inside the erasure hero faded as soon as the blond reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black device with metal prods on one end. His eyebrows rose when the taser sparked to life.

"Hiza—"

His friend jammed the taser into his stomach. Whatever he was about to say got caught in his throat and his muscles cramped up where the metal prods made contact. The rest of his body seized up as electricity pulsed through it. He remained tense for a few moments after the taser was removed before slumping over, his raven hair falling in a curtain around his face. Something warm and wet dribbled down his palms. Only then did he realize he must have been straining against the cuffs hard enough for the metal to finally break skin. The stinging in his wrists confirmed that assumption.

"I know I warned you, but I'm still sorry I had to do that to you."

The erasure hero slowly lifted his head when Hizashi spoke. The blond's lips were quirked into a thin line and the man winced at the sound of his ragged breathing, but that only lasted for a moment. Cold and determined green eyes bore into his own.

"You can't think your way out of this and are only delaying the inevitable. All Might won't be there to save you and the students this time around. Yasunari will get what he needs out of you. The interrogation will only escalate from here. Please, Shouta, don't make this harder on yourself than it needs to be. Tell us what we want to know."

"No."

His head flung back as he was tasered yet again. He couldn't stop a groan from escaping through his clenched teeth. Panic flared through him when Hizashi didn't remove the taser and he felt his chest tightening.

_I can't breathe._

After what seemed to be an eternity, Hizashi pulled the taser away. He could feel his stomach muscles spasm while he tried to catch his breath. He barely registered the sound of the door opening.

"Looks like you got started without us, Yamada." Shouta ignored his body's protests as he righted himself from his prone position to see Yasunari and a couple other men walk into the room. "I thought he would consider talking to an old friend, but it seems that didn't work out as I'd hoped it would." Yasunari approached him and bent down so the two were eye-level. "Don't worry, Eraser. We'll get you to talk eventually."

Shouta swallowed, knowing what was coming next would be nothing short of unpleasant, but he still shot the ring leader a glare that would freeze hell over. His earlier thoughts echoed in his mind.

_Kan will know I'm missing soon. He'll alert the rest of the staff. They'll know something's wrong._

_I just have to hold out until then._

***break***

_A pale hand reached toward Tsuyu, but he was frozen in place. He willed his body to move as the hand touched her face, to just push her out of the way._

_But nothing happened._

_The man above them let out a frustrated sigh when the skin didn't decay. He watched as the twisted man turned to look over his shoulder._

"_You really are cool, Eraserhead."_

_His jaw dropped when he saw his teacher's bloodshot eyes wide open and staring directly at the villain, despite the crushing grip on his head. His blood ran cold when he saw the giant hand lift his teacher's head and slam his face into the ground. His mouth was open, but no scream came out. The erasure hero's lifeless body lied limp beneath the mutant on top of him. Nothing could stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks._

"_Sensei…."_

Izuku bolted upright and gasped for breath. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, realizing his shirt was drenched in sweat. He got up and rummaged through his dresser for another one. Once he'd changed, he laid back down.

He couldn't close his eyes.

He blankly stared up at the ceiling and willed himself to fall back asleep, but he couldn't. Slowly, he sat back up and ran a hand down his face. Checking his phone, he saw that it was almost four in the morning. He sighed before getting up and leaving his room. He yawned as he entered the elevator. Within seconds, he was on the first floor. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way to the kitchen.

"Midoriya?"

Izuku actually jumped, but managed to stifle his startled yelp.

"Shinsou?"

He didn't expect to see anyone in the kitchen at this hour, but especially not his newest classmate. The purple-haired teen was rummaging through one of the cupboards. He saw Hitoshi's eyebrows slightly raise when he found what he was looking for.

"What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Hitoshi deadpanned.

He set a box of tea down on the counter. That's when Izuku noticed the kettle on the stove.

"Fair enough, I guess," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmare?"

Izuku froze. Hitoshi had turned his back to him to tend to the boiling kettle, but he didn't have any doubts that his classmate was truly listening.

"Y-yeah. How did you…is that why you're up too?"

Hitoshi shook his head.

"Not tonight. I woke up a couple hours ago and couldn't go back to sleep."

"I suppose that makes sense," Izuku said, bringing a hand to his chin. "After all, you just transferred into the hero course and moved into the dorms. I know all of us had to adjust to sleeping in the dorms when we first moved in. You're also probably stressed because you have so much to catch up—"

"Do you want any tea?" Hitoshi interrupted, too tired to deal with his classmate's rambling.

"Oh…sure."

Hitoshi grabbed two mugs from another cupboard. Silently, he filled them with the steaming water and dropped in the tea bags. He set the mugs on the table and the two sat down.

"Thanks," Izuku mumbled. He took a sip and his eyes widened at the taste. "What kind of tea is this?"

"It's called lemon balm. I usually don't like tea, but this is an exception. Mostly because it helps me sleep and I don't mind the taste."

"I see. I don't think I've ever had this before. Who showed it to you?"

"Aizawa-sensei." Izuku's eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into his hair at the response, causing the closest thing to a genuine smile he'd seen on his new classmate. "I know. He noticed I was sluggish during training one day awhile back. I've had trouble sleeping as long as I can remember. Normally I'm fine and can handle it, but it really caught up to me with all the extra training. Once I told him that, he gave me a few bags to try. He suggested drinking it within an hour of going to bed and it would help me sleep. When I told him that I liked it and it helped, he brought me three boxes." He chuckled and raised the mug to his lips. "I wish he would take his own advice, though. Who knows when the last time he got a full night's rest was. It seems like he needs it more than any of us."

Izuku softly laughed as well, but abruptly stopped when the two heard footsteps coming from the front door of Heights Alliance. Given the time, they knew their teacher could be coming back from patrol at any moment. The footsteps paused in the common area before making their way toward the kitchen. Both students' eyes widened when Vlad King stood in the entryway.

"Did either of you let Eraser back into the dorms?"

Izuku and Hitoshi looked to each other. The green-haired teen didn't miss the way his classmate tensed at the question. He turned his gaze back to the blood hero.

"No, sir."

"Are any of your other classmates awake?"

"No, sir," Izuku answered again. "Not that we know of, anyway. If they are, they haven't left their rooms."

Kan nodded and shifted in place, his hand reaching into his pocket.

"All right. He probably just got caught up at the police station then. I'll give him another call." He turned to leave the kitchen. "You two should probably go back to sleep."

"Yes, sir," they both mumbled.

The two didn't speak until the front door to their dorm shut. Izuku looked down to the mug in his hands, his eyebrows drawing together.

"I wonder why Aizawa-sensei would need one of us to let him into the dorms. He has an access card like the rest of us—"

"Not while he's on patrol." Izuku's head shot up at the response. Hitoshi tightened his grip around his own mug. "King-sensei stops by during training on occasion to drop off his access cards to both the main campus and the dorms before going on patrol. I was confused at first, but Aizawa-sensei told me it was his idea and he does the same thing. If something were to happen to either of them while on patrol, they don't want to give villains a way to get on campus or in the dorms. Given the attack at the USJ and the training camp, I don't blame either of them. They meet each other at the gates to the dorms after their respective shifts to let each other back in."

Izuku's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates while his classmate spoke.

_Aizawa-sensei and King-sensei had to do that press conference after the training camp. Anyone targeting Yuuei would know that they teach here and think they could get access to campus from them._

He couldn't help but smile.

_Aizawa-sensei is truly taking every precaution to make sure we're safe._

The thought of his teacher brought him back to their current situation, and his smile faded almost as quickly as it had formed.

"But Aizawa-sensei hasn't returned from patrol…." he muttered.

He didn't miss the way Kan was trying to hide his concern and he knew it was solely for his and Hitoshi's peace of mind. Unfortunately, they knew their teacher well.

"He's almost never late," Hitoshi said, "and if he is, he'd make sure to call King-sensei."

"There's still the chance he just had a busy patrol. He'll probably be back soon."

Hitoshi took a sip of tea, not looking convinced in the slightest. If Izuku were completely honest with himself, he wasn't either.

_Even if Aizawa-sensei was busy and stuck at the police station, he would make the time to call. He wouldn't just not show up._

Izuku looked back down to his mug.

_He's okay. He has to be. There has to be some sort of reason for why he hasn't returned or called._

Despite the tea and Kan's suggestion, he had the feeling that he and Hitoshi would still have trouble sleeping the rest of the night.

**Well, there's the second chapter! I feel like this chapter brought on more questions than answers, but everything will be answered eventually! I loved writing the lowkey Dadzawa and Shinson. He cares about his purple son. Don't fight me on that.**

**Anyways, until next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter! Thank you guys so much for the response to this story! It's incredibly encouraging. Well, let's get on with it!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

Shouta's eyes might have been shut, but that didn't stop him from noticing a different sense of darkness threatening to engulf him. His nose and throat burned as water seeped through the cloth. His struggles became weaker, much against his wishes. He just needed to breathe.

Just when he thought he was about to lose consciousness, the towel over his face and the grip on his head disappeared. He leaned forward and coughed up water. The burning in his nose intensified as some of it dripped back out.

"_The interrogation will only escalate from here."_

Hizashi certainly hadn't been wrong about that. The erasure hero didn't even have time to think about how long they'd been at this already.

He heard the hose still running, finally opening his eyes and nearly glaring at the offending object. Dread nestled in his heaving chest when he realized they weren't done. Although, he had to think on the bright side of things.

_If they can drag a working hose in here and have running water, this warehouse has to be in use. If I can find out the company that owns it, we might have a lead on who else is involved._

"Again, Yamada."

Shouta didn't even have a chance to react before Hizashi covered his nose and mouth with the towel and yanked his head back. Within seconds, he was doused with water yet again. He automatically shook his head, anything to escape the never-ending stream, but two strong hands grabbed him at the top of his head and under his chin. It didn't take long for the water to start soak through the cloth and fill his mouth. He sputtered and fought the grip on his head, but soon enough it started trickling down his throat.

_They usually stop by now._

But the cold water kept forcing its way down his throat and up his nose. Sagging against the chair, he could practically feel consciousness receding each second he lacked air. He could vaguely hear voices around him, but it was like hearing someone speak underwater.

"That's enough! We need him awake!"

He'd hardly registered the words before the towel was removed. Summoning what little strength he had left, he managed to lean as far forward and as far to the side as his restraints allowed. He vomited all of the water he'd swallowed, barely hearing the splash it made as it joined the puddle surrounding the chair. He made retching sounds as he finished emptying his stomach, then he took a few shuddering breaths. Through his sopping wet clumps of hair, he could see one of Yasunari's men dragging the hose out of the room.

_They must be on a tight deadline if they don't want me unconscious. Not that it would matter. They're not getting anything from me whether I'm awake or not._

He barely suppressed a shiver when the cold tip of a knife blade touched his wrist, just above the cuff, and was dragged up his arm to just below his shoulder. The cut didn't break skin, but it did rip the sleeve of his jumpsuit and expose his arm. He slowly sat back up and risked a glance over his shoulder.

Hizashi refused to meet his gaze.

The man instead cut into his forearm, starting from the crook of his elbow and slicing down to his wrist. He instinctively tried to pull his arm away when he felt the knife tip return to his elbow, but a bruising grip kept his arm in place.

"Stay still, Shouta."

The traitor had been eerily quiet once Yasunari officially started the interrogation. Come to think of it, the erasure hero wasn't sure if Hizashi had said _anything_ since then.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the blade digging into his skin, deeper than the previous cut. A burning sensation followed the knife down his arm. He grit his teeth, but a groan still managed to escape him. Blood streamed from the cut and dripped down into the water puddle on the ground. It might have only been a few seconds, but his arm seemed to have been burning for an eternity.

And he realized Hizashi still wasn't done. Not even close, actually. He was only half way down the hero's forearm, making no move to pick up the agonizingly slow pace. Shouta forced himself to take a deep breath, then another. He let his eyes flutter shut. He had to block out the pain currently blossoming in his arm.

_It was difficult to see through the slits in his bandages, but he didn't take his gaze off the two students in the circle. Again, Todoroki shot ice straight at Midoriya. The latter flicked another finger and he winced. Even from his position, he could see Midoriya's hand turning ugly shades of dark blue and purple._

_But he was still standing. He was still fighting. That took an incredible amount of resolve that he couldn't help but respect._

_Todoroki was forced to create a block of ice to catch himself from the impact of Midoriya's deflection. The two took a moment to catch their breaths. Todoroki moved in for another attack, but froze mid-step. He stared down Midoriya who was yelling at him, his eyes growing almost comically wide. _

_He and Hizashi had to turn away from the sudden flash._

_When he looked back to his students, Todoroki's left side was ablaze. _

"_Damn…." he breathed._

_He'd never seen Todoroki use his flames during any of their training. His student had seemed so adamant about not doing so, and he hadn't had his class long enough to investigate further into that issue. He shifted his gaze to Midoriya. _

_The kid was smiling. _

_Midoriya didn't look away. He didn't look scared despite the fact he knew he'd probably lose the fight at this point. He stood his ground. He looked his classmate in the eye and was smiling._

_If he didn't have bandages covering the entirety of his face, he might have been smiling too. _

Shouta let out an anguished cry when Hizashi gave the knife a sudden twist. Tears welled in his eyes, but he didn't dare let them fall. He kept his eyes tightly clenched shut.

_He tensed in his seat while he looked down in the arena. He'd lost track of most of his students, but once the dust and rubble settled, he'd managed to locate a few. His tension didn't cease as more time passed and he still had students that hadn't passed the exam. His eyes wandered to Aoyama. Based on the way he was huddled against a rock and not moving, it looked as though the kid had given up._

_Just as he started to shake his head, a familiar suit of armor reunited with Aoyama. He couldn't stop the burst of nostalgia that erupted within him every time he saw Iida's costume, but his brow furrowed when the two appeared to be talking._

"_You don't have much time left…."_

_At this distance, he couldn't begin to make out what the two were saying to each other; however, once Aoyama finally stood up and joined his classmate, it didn't take long for him to figure it out._

_He couldn't stop the slight upward quirk of his lips._

"_You didn't leave your classmate behind, Tenya," he muttered to himself. "Tensei wouldn't either. He's going to be so proud of you."_

"I know he's your friend, but I think you're letting him off a bit easy," Yasunari said as he walked back in the cell. "Are you trying to get him to pass out from blood loss? We can't interrogate him then. You know we don't have time for that."

Shouta took a few shuddering breaths when the knife finally stilled. He forced his eyes open. A frown tugged on the corner of the ring leader's lips. The moment Yasunari noticed his captive was looking at him, his confident demeanor returned while he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket, apparently having taken a call. If the erasure hero hadn't been paying attention, he might have missed it.

_When did he leave? What the hell happened while he was gone?_

Shouta couldn't stop his eyes from widening when he saw the two crowbars the man was carrying in his free hand.

"Wrap up his arm," he ordered. "Do you still think you're up for this, Yamada?"

There was no verbal response, so he assumed Hizashi had nodded. The former hero yanked the knife from his arm before using it to cut off the bits of his torn jumpsuit sleeve. Yasunari tossed one of the crow bars to the young man at his right while Hizashi wrapped the makeshift bandage around his arm. He could feel the traitor's breath ghosting over his ear as he finished wrapping up his arm.

"Any chance you've changed your mind?"

He could almost hear the rueful smile in Hizashi's voice. Yasunari chuckled at the erasure hero's silence. The man twirled the crowbar around in his hand before letting it come to a rest on his shoulder.

"You know, Eraser, we could really use someone like you. Your quirk would be perfect for the ring in terms of keeping the kids' quirks under control." Shouta inwardly perked up, the wheels already turning in his mind, but Yasunari was all too ready to dash the sliver of hope that had just been introduced to him. "Not for this order, of course. This one's a bit too personal for you, but I'm already getting calls for future orders and I'd love for you to join us. You'd be paid quite nicely for your services. I can tell you right now you'd get paid much more than you do for your hero work and teaching job." The hero had to crane his neck back when Yasunari approached until he was looming over his captive, inadvertently forcing him to lean back against Hizashi. "I can assure you that our clients are only looking to help these kids to reach their fullest potential with their quirks. That's what you want, isn't it? What do you say, Eraser?"

"Go to hell," Shouta quipped right back without a beat of hesitation.

Yasunari clicked his tongue.

"Such a shame," his captor muttered. "I'd been hoping you'd come to see reason after a little bit of persuasion, but it appears that's not the case. I guess we'll have to try harder."

He lashed out with the crowbar. Shouta barely saw the flash before letting out a grunt and hearing a sickening crack. His earlier thoughts echoed in his mind.

_I just have to hold on._

He shifted against his restraints, his dislocated shoulder and newly broken rib screaming in protest. His bindings didn't budge. He didn't have another choice. As much as he hated it, he would have to wait for rescue.

_I just have to hold on._

***break***

Hitoshi peeled his eyes open at the sound of a door slamming. Well, slammed might have been exaggerating, but that's how it sounded after he barely slept. While he would normally be annoyed by the fact something so small interrupted his sleep, this morning he could only take it as a sign to get up.

Not that he could've tried getting some more much needed sleep even if he wanted to.

He slowly sat up and buried his face in his hands. He rubbed his eyes, practically feeling the dark shadows underneath them growing. Leaving the warmth of his bed, he got up and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He entered the hallway and turned around when he heard another door softly close.

Fumikage walked down the hall toward the elevator, giving him a polite nod as he passed by. Hitoshi nodded in return and fell in step with his classmate. One thing he'd quickly come to appreciate about Fumikage was that he didn't feel the obligation to fill in the silence whenever the two were alone, which happened quite frequently considering they lived on the same floor. The two quietly entered the elevator and got off on the first floor.

He paused before following Fumikage, who was heading to the kitchen he'd just been in hours ago. He looked down the hall. The door to their homeroom teacher's apartment was shut.

_I wonder if Aizawa-sensei ever made it back last night…he had to…he was just stuck at the police station like King-sensei said…._

Unconsciously, he started down the hall, but stopped and rerouted himself toward the kitchen when he heard the ding of the elevator.

_He's probably just asleep. I shouldn't make anyone else in the class worry when there's nothing to worry about…right?_

Eager to escape the chatter that filled the common area the second those doors opened, he busied himself with making a bowl of cereal and silently praying whoever got off the elevator wouldn't come into the kitchen.

Hitoshi had no such luck.

Fumikage shot him a look that screamed "good luck" while he grabbed his toast out of the toaster and practically ran from the kitchen. The purple-haired teen couldn't blame his classmate for a second. While their class got along quite well most of the time, a handful of them didn't care to get chatty so early in the morning during the weekend.

Hitoshi was definitely one of them.

"Why doesn't Aizawa-sensei want us to have any fun?" Mina whined as she, Ochako, Kyouka, and Tsuyu walked into the kitchen.

Ochako sighed.

"I'm sure he had his—oh! Good morning, Shinsou!"

He turned to look at the group when Ochako finally acknowledged his presence. He took his bowl and started toward the common area.

"Morning," he muttered back.

The second he exited the kitchen, someone bumped into him and nearly caused him to spill his cereal and milk all over himself. Annoyance surged through him until he saw who it was.

"I'm so sorry, Shinsou!" Izuku apologized.

He paused when he got a good look at his classmate. Izuku was rubbing his eyes and looked like he'd hardly slept since they parted ways just hours previously.

"It's all right."

He sat down on one of the couches. He took one bite of cereal before setting the bowl down on the coffee table. Forcing himself to swallow what little he ate, a queasy pit formed in his stomach.

"Can't eat either?" Izuku didn't bother waiting for an invitation. He sat down next to Hitoshi, not even bothering to bring any food with him. "I looked in the fridge and I just couldn't get myself to eat anything."

Hitoshi merely hummed in response. He honestly had nothing to say.

_Aizawa-sensei has to be okay…._

"I mean what does he expect us to do on a Sunday?" Mina's continuous whining yanked him out of his thoughts. "We even got ahead on our homework! He never denies our requests off campus when we do. I wanted to spend my day off at the mall, not in the dorms."

Tsuyu croak could be heard even from the kitchen.

"Ochako's right, Mina. Aizawa-sensei probably had a reason—"

_He has to be…._

"He just didn't want us to have any fun!"

"That's it!" Hitoshi hissed to himself.

He got up and stalked out of the common area and down the hall, ignoring Izuku calling after him.

_Aizawa-sensei might be annoyed, but I don't care. I have to check. I have to see that he's okay._

He stopped in front of his mentor's door and didn't hesitate to knock.

"Shinsou, what the hell are you doing? You know you can't wake up Aizawa-sensei on his day off! Are you trying to get us more homework?" Mina practically screeched, not caring that the volume of her voice would have definitely woken him up if Shinsou hadn't already.

She repeatedly pressed the button on the elevator, as if that would increase its velocity down to the first floor. She bolted inside as soon as the doors opened. Ochako and Tsuyu followed close behind her. Hitoshi knocked again.

No answer.

_He has to be okay._

"Shinsou?"

He vaguely heard Izuku's voice over the sound of his fist pounding against the door.

"Aizawa-sensei!" he called as Izuku joined him.

The two waited. Hitoshi put his ear to the door, but didn't hear anything from within the room. He could only hear his heart pounding in his chest.

_He would've answered the door by now…he wouldn't just ignore us if he thought we might need him…._

He swallowed before lifting his hand and knocking one last time.

Nothing.

Dread pooled in his stomach while the two stood in silence. He glanced at Izuku out of the corner of his eye, his chest tightening at the lifeless look on his classmate's face.

Izuku was always so determined and full of life. While he could find it annoying at times, especially when he wasn't in the mood to talk, he admired that. But that life was gone. The green-haired teen crossed his arms and started back toward the common area. Hitoshi had to jog to catch up to his classmate.

"We need to find King-sensei," Izuku declared, determination slowly returning to his eyes. "Aizawa-sensei always comes home from patrol. Something's wrong."

"He never came back last night?"

The two froze, eyes widening when they realized Kyouka was sitting on one of the couches, apparently not following her friends back upstairs. Hitoshi looked to Izuku, and they both shook their head.

"King-sensei stopped by last night asking if we'd seen him," Izuku explained. "I guess Aizawa-sensei was supposed to call if he was going to be late, and he never heard from him."

Kyouka set her plate down on the coffee table and stood, leading the two out the front door of Heights Alliance.

"Mina asked why he denied our request to go off campus today, but he never gave us an explanation. He's never denied our requests before and he certainly wouldn't do so without giving us a reason. It can't just be a coincidence that he didn't come back last night."

The trio headed to Class 1-B's dormitory, hoping the blood hero could give them some answers.

***break***

Another thud. Another crack. Another grunt.

Shouta's teeth were clenched so tight he was surprised they hadn't shattered.

_Is that six broken ribs now? Seven?_

He honestly didn't know. He'd lost count. Agony permeated through him with every breath he took. He couldn't stop a flinch when Yasunari's subordinate swung the crowbar at him yet again. The air was knocked out of his lungs, but this time he felt his chair tilting back. He shut his eyes and braced himself to fall back onto his bound hands.

Suddenly, he jolted as someone caught the chair before he could hit the ground. He opened his eyes to see Hizashi looking down at him, blond hair falling around his face.

"Had enough, Sho'?"

_Don't call me that._

Hizashi righted his chair, Yasunari's face just mere centimeters from his own. The hero could see the slightest waver in the man's usual confident demeanor, but the ring leader was definitely trying to hide it.

_Something has to be wrong...did he think I would have given in by this point?_

"Are you going to ignore your best friend, Eraser?" Yasunari poked and prodded at Shouta's ribs, relishing in the groan he elicited out of the hero. "Have you had enough? I wouldn't blame you if you had. I'll admit, I'm impressed that you've held out for so long, but even you have to know that you can only take so much. Now, how about you—"

A cell phone ringing interrupted him. With a low grumble, he took out his phone. Once he got a glimpse of the number calling, he turned to leave his captive's cell.

"Yamada, you're with me."

The blond didn't hesitate to follow the order. Once Yasunari opened the door, he gestured to someone Shouta couldn't see.

"Akane, Gima, he's yours for now. Do whatever you have to do to get him talking."

What little relief Shouta started to feel at the thought of his captor leaving completely diminished. The second Yasunari left with Hizashi, a man and a woman instantly took their places. He blinked at the two newcomers and willed his foggy mind to focus. If he had to guess, they looked to be just a few years older than him. They both had ink black hair, but the man's was cropped short while the woman's stopped just above her shoulders. She flashed him a brilliant smile, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the sharp, jagged teeth.

"We didn't think we'd ever get the chance to see you in person, Eraserhead. You've been the talk of the town for a while now, at least among our colleagues." She sauntered around to the back of his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders, laughing when he tensed at the contact. "You can't blame Gima and I for taking advantage of an opportunity like this, can you?"

Without any warning, she sunk her teeth into his dislocated shoulder. He knew he visibly paled when he felt her teeth moving closer together underneath his skin.

_She's not actually…._

Her teeth clamped together and she raised her head, but not without taking bits of his jumpsuit and a chunk of flesh with her. A scream tore its way out of his throat before he even had a chance to try to stop it. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths despite his aching ribs. Before he could turn and get a look at the damage, a silver flash whizzed by his head.

He finally turned his gaze to Gima. The man had pulled up his sleeve to reveal a stump instead of a hand. Shouta's eyebrows rose when he saw the tip of a blade emerging from the man's stump.

_He must have been the one to shred my capture weapon._

He watched as the blade got longer and longer. He automatically activated his quirk and felt his damp hair starting to float.

"We can't have that," Akane whispered right next to his ear.

Her hands covered his eyes and his hair flopped back down around his shoulders. He hissed when the blade sliced across his chest. Just a heartbeat later, there was another.

And another.

He nearly flinched, expecting another slash, but there wasn't one. Instead, the tip of the blade dug into his chest. Gima slowly dragged it down all the way to his stomach, just as Hizashi had done to his arm. He bit his lip in a vain attempt to stifle another scream.

"Your devotion to your students is admirable," Akane said. "How long are you going to keep this up? It's completely up to you, you know. We've already been here a few hours. Will it take a few days? Weeks?"

Despite her being right next to his ear, Shouta barely heard her words over the squelch that resounded in his mind when the blade was finally removed from his stomach.

"We don't have that kind of time," Gima muttered.

The hands around his eyes were gone, but a stronger hand gripped his hair a second later and yanked his head back far enough for his neck to ache at the angle. Gima lifted his arm again, the blade now shorter than before.

The small weapon hovered over his left eye. The man grinned while he watched the realization hit him like a freight train.

_No…._

"I bet we can get him to talk sooner than that," he chuckled. "Akane, hold his head still."

_No…._

Akane was now back in his line of sight, blood speckled all over her face. She grabbed both sides of his face in a surprisingly iron grip. He couldn't turn his head.

_No…no…no!_

He activated his quirk again, neither of his captors making a move to cover his eyes and seeming to enjoy his pathetic attempt to stop them. Gima simply stepped out of his line of sight, gently placing the tip against his temple and dragging it teasingly to his target.

Shouta thought his heart would pound out of his chest when the hands on his face tightened their grip. He took in short, shallow breaths through clenched teeth.

"You know how to make this stop, Eraser," Akane simply reminded.

He swallowed thickly, the action being a bit more obvious in his prone position, but he still remained silent.

Then, his entire world flashed red when the blade started digging just beneath his eye.

**And there's the third chapter! I hope you all enjoy it and are ready for the plot to thicken a little! **

**Ah, the thought of Aizawa's students caring and worrying about him absolutely melts my heart. That part was a little more difficult to write, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. **

**As always, constructive criticism is absolutely welcome! Feel free to let me know what you thought! **

**Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I have returned with yet another chapter! I can't thank you all enough for your support throughout this fic. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Akane and Gima covered their ears as the roar echoed throughout the room. Shouta instinctively tried to curl in on himself and do the same, but his bindings only dug deeper into the flesh around his wrists and ankles and his ribs screamed in protest. The ringing in his ears quickly overshadowed the sting under his eye Gima's blade left behind. A hand fisted in his hair to yank his head up, and he couldn't stop a hiss from escaping him when Hizashi ran a thumb over the newly formed incision under his eye, smearing blood further across his cheek in the process.

"Without his eyes, he can't use his quirk!" The ringing in his ears hadn't quite subsided, but that certainly didn't mean he couldn't hear the blond's yelling. "We've got clients bidding on him if Yasunari doesn't decide to keep him. What good is he to anyone if he can't use erasure?"

Gima and Akane glanced to each other, their eyes widening. It took Akane a moment to muster up the courage to speak at all.

"I just…we thought he would talk before—"

"Get out!"

The two didn't need to be told twice. They hustled out of the cell, leaving Hizashi and Shouta alone, the former finally releasing his grip on the hero's hair.

A slap followed just a second later.

Shouta grunted as his head whipped to the side, blood dribbling down his torn bottom lip. He didn't even have the chance to right himself before a bruising grip on his chin forced him forward. Hizashi's face hovered mere centimeters above his own. His vision may have been slightly blurry, but there was no missing the gleam in the blond's eyes.

_He looks desperate._

"Shouta, please," Hizashi swallowed before continuing, "you have to snap out of this fantasy. There's nothing you can do to protect your students. All Might won't be here to cover your ass this time. We'll get what we need, one way or another. I hate seeing you like this."

"Then…stop…."

The villain let out a humorless chuckle.

"I wish I had that option, but I'm afraid I don't."

"Bullshit!" Shouta spat, a mixture of blood and saliva speckling on Hizashi's face.

The blond closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. He inhaled deeply and the hand gripping the hero's chin shook. He slowly walked around behind the chair, both hands now resting on Shouta's shoulders. As he exhaled, he trailed his hands down the captive's arms, over the makeshift bandage and drying blood peeking out from beneath it. He took Shouta's left hand in an iron grip and reached into his own pocket.

"What…the hell?"

Shouta tried to close his hand into a fist, but Hizashi's grip held firm. Suddenly, cold metal clamped down on his thumb.

"You know how to make me stop."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Hizashi twisted the appendage, forcing the erasure hero to let out a grunt when he felt the bone snap. Not even missing a beat, the villain next clamped the pliers down on his thumbnail, and his heart plummeted when he realized what was coming next. Tears welled in his eyes as Hizashi slowly ripped the nail from its nailbed.

Then Hizashi stopped and took another deep breath.

_Did he…did he change his mind?_

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Hizashi gave the pliers one final yank. Shouta cried out when he completely detached the nail. Blood poured from the wound and he could feel it trickling over the rest of his fingers and down the back of his hand. Dread pooled in his stomach when he felt the metal clamp down on his index finger and he realized the blond wasn't even close to being done.

All he could do was hope Hizashi made this quick.

***break***

Hitoshi and Kyouka were silent as they stalked toward the main campus. That wasn't unusual. What was unnerving to them both was that Izuku was just as quiet, but understandable given the circumstances. The trio had entered Class 1-B's dorm to find the blood hero only to hear from Tetsutetsu that the man was last seen running to the main campus.

Their footsteps echoed once they'd made it inside the building. None of the three had ever been in the building when it was so empty. Even Hitoshi while he was staying late to train with their homeroom teacher. There had always been a few staff members meandering throughout the building. If they didn't know better, they'd say no one was there.

Kyouka suddenly froze and motioned for her classmates to wait. Jamming her earphone jack into the closest wall, she closed her eyes and listened. Her brow furrowed. Moving further down the hallway, Izuku and Hitoshi right on her heels, she paused again. Her eyes widened and she put a finger to her lips. She led the two down the rest of the hall and around the corner.

The three could see Principal Nezu's door at the end of the hall.

The door was shut, so they quietly approached. The closer they got to their principal's office, the clearer they could hear the voice just beyond the door.

"Why the hell aren't we going in? Eraser can't—"

There was no doubt that was Blood King, but they could hear a calmer voice interrupt him. Kyouka wasted no time creeping up to the wall and inserting her headphone jack into the wall.

"He hasn't given the signal to raid yet. We might make the situation worse."

_Nezu._

"But we can't just leave Eraser there. We need to get him out!"

Kyouka looked to her two classmates and motioned them closer.

"I think Aizawa-sensei's in trouble…." she whispered, but trailed off when she heard Nezu speak up again.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Kan, but we don't have much choice in the matter right now. You know Aizawa wouldn't want us to risk losing those kids. You two need to stay here with Yagi and round up the students. It shouldn't be too difficult because I believe all but three of them are in the dorms."

Panic flared through her when she heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. The three students didn't have a chance to react before the door to Nezu's office flung open.

Cementoss stood before them, but he didn't look angry, much to their surprise.

"We need to get you all back to the dorms," he said simply.

They didn't even get a look of who else might be in the office before the three were being ushered back down the hallway with Kan following just behind them. Hitoshi looked over his shoulder at the two teachers.

"Where's Aizawa-sensei?"

"He'll be fine," Cementoss answered, but all three students could hear the uncertainty in his tone.

"Does he need help?" Izuku asked.

He turned back to Nezu's office, but the blood hero quickly spun him around and kept pushing him forward.

"No."

"It sounded like he's in trouble. Maybe we could—"

"No!" Kan moved in front of Izuku and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Midoriya stay in the dorms and do as we ask. That goes for all of you." He looked to both Kyouka and Hitoshi. "Please, just follow instructions and make sure your classmates follow them too. We can't risk anything happening to you all. Don't let Eraser suffer for nothing!"

He was met with silence and a wide-eyed stare from the three students. He soon mirrored their expression and clamped his mouth shut once he realized what he'd just said. He turned and led them back to Heights Alliance, and they followed him without a word.

***break***

_He trudged down the hall to kitchen, stopping when he saw the light on. He blinked before continuing on to his destination. A mess of red hair on the table instantly caught his attention._

"_Kirishima?"_

_He looked down to his phone his eyebrows raising as he noticed the time. His student didn't stir from his position on the table. He walked over and put a hand on the kid's back. Eijirou sat straight up the moment he made contact, a piece of paper sticking to his face. Now that the kid was up, he could see an open book on the table with a couple of crumpled pages from where he'd been resting his head. Eijirou rubbed his eyes before looking up to his teacher._

"_Aizawa-sensei?"_

"_Shouldn't you be in your room?"_

_Eijirou laughed and scratched the back of his neck._

"_I suppose I should. I couldn't focus so I came down here and hoped that would help me study. I guess it didn't help…."_

"_Why are you up studying so late?"_

_The kid looked down to the table and slowly closed the book. _

"_I…I just…." he stammered, racking his brain for an answer. "I'm just sick of being at the bottom of the class. No good hero is at the bottom of their—"_

"_That doesn't matter." His student's brow furrowed as he met his gaze. "I'm not trying to tell you that you shouldn't do your best or that academics don't matter, but there's more to being a hero than getting perfect grades in a math or English class. You need to get plenty of sleep, especially since you've got training tomorrow."_

"_But if I don't study then I'll just keep failing and then I'll keep having to take more extra lessons like at the training camp and I'll never be a good hero if I'm stuck in extra lessons and—"_

"_Kirishima!" His sharp tone snapped the boy out of his rambling. He didn't speak again until Eijirou met his gaze. "Do you understand why I gave the five of you extra lessons at the training camp?"_

_Eijirou bit his lip for a brief moment before answering._

"_Because we failed the final?"_

"_Because I saw mistakes. Mistakes that could have been fatal if the villain hadn't been one of your instructors. You're not the first student to take extra lessons from me, and you certainly won't be the last. I have no doubt that you'll be a great hero." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "However, I don't want to see a news broadcast announcing that Red Riot was injured or killed because of a mistake his teacher could have corrected during his training."_

_He didn't miss the way Eijirou's shoulder relaxed under his grip or the corners of his lips quirking into a small smile. _

"_Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."_

"_Now go get some sleep. Your class has a long day tomorrow."_

A gravelly groan cut through the silence that previously filled the room when Hizashi ripped off Shouta's tenth fingernail. The erasure hero was surprised he still had his voice. There was a small plop when the traitor dropped the detached nail into the blood red puddle surrounding his chair. His mouth opened in a silent cry when Hizashi squeezed his hand, more blood oozing from the open wounds and broken bones scraping against each other.

And then the room started to spin.

_How much blood have I lost?_

Between the cuts on his arm, the slashes on his chest and stomach, and his still bleeding nailbeds, he couldn't even begin to guess. He closed his eyes and let his head fall toward his chest. His eyes fluttered open just a second later when he heard the bang of his cell door opening, grimacing when his headache intensified. Managing to lift his chin just a few centimeters off the bloody mess that was his chest, he was met with the sight of Yasunari storming toward him with a crow bar in hand.

"Why can't any of you get him to talk? We're running out of time."

Shouta saw him lift the crow bar before….

_Crack._

His vision flashed white as agony exploded from his left shin. His ears rang due to whatever was echoing throughout the cell, only to register a few moments later that it was his own voice clawing its way out of his throat.

"What are…doing...can't interrogate..."

He could barely make out what Hizashi was saying as his scream died down. Chest heaving as he tried to regulate his breathing, he opened his eyes. Black spots danced across his vision. His head hung back down toward his chest and his eyes started to flutter shut. Someone lightly slapped his cheek.

"Eraser…hear me…."

He had no choice but to let dark spots completely cloud his vision.

_The door to 1-A's classroom slowly opened, Hitoshi peering in. He'd been training the general studies student for a while now. It was amusing that the kid was nervous after all this time._

_He certainly didn't need to be._

_Hitoshi was visibly worn out, understandable given the amount of pressure he'd been putting on himself during the joint training that ended just a couple hours ago. He motioned for his mentee to enter the classroom and nodded to the closest desk, a smirk forming when he saw Hitoshi's brow furrowed. The boy slowly approached him and sat down at the desk._

"_Is there a reason we're meeting in here for train…."_

_Hitoshi trailed off when he raised the file in his hand and dropped it in front of the kid. He watched as Hitoshi hesitantly opened the file, a genuine smile pulling at his lips when he saw the contents inside. He wasn't even sure his student knew he was smiling._

"_I've already signed everything. Nezu just needs your signature on a couple documents and the transfer will be official."_

_Hitoshi carefully scanned through each document, his eyes widening when he got to the bottom of the first page._

"_You put me in your class, sensei?"_

"_No." Hitoshi glanced up from the papers to see his teacher grinning at him. "You've earned a spot in my class, and I'm proud to now be your homeroom teacher as well as your mentor."_

_Bang._

Someone slammed open the door to the cell. Shouta groaned, the throbbing in his leg increasing his desire to dive headfirst back into unconsciousness. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt as though weights were holding his eyelids down.

"Is this really him?"

Footsteps rapidly approached his chair, their owner lifting his head up. He grimaced and a white flash cut through the darkness. For the first time since his capture, he was grateful for the restraints. At least they kept him relatively still while whoever was touching him didn't seem to care if they jostled him.

"Do you really have so little faith in me?"

At the sound of Yasunari's voice, Shouta made another attempt to open his eyes, this one slightly more successful than the first. His vision was blurry, but the man before him slowly became clearer. He was young, not any older than himself if Shouta had to guess. His grin widened when the erasure hero met his gaze. Yasunari laughed and approached the two, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder.

"It's nice to see you're finally awake, Eraser. You sure took your time waking up. Don't get too attached, Harada. I haven't decided if I'm going to sell him yet."

Harada smirked, finally letting go of Shouta's head and causing it to drop back down to his chest.

"You might want to reconsider. Eraser's in rough condition, but he'll do if you don't get the rest of my order tonight."

_The rest of the order...he has to be one of the clients…._

"I'll get your order, don't worry," Yasunari assured with his infuriatingly confident grin.

"That's what you said three days ago."

Peeking through the strands of his hair, he saw the ring leader's smile falter for the briefest moment. It returned the instant the cell door opened yet again. His stomach dropped when he saw Hizashi enter. He swiftly approached Yasunari and pulled him aside. He automatically turned to follow them only to have his vision blur at the attempt. He clenched his eyes shut before forcing himself to blink, willing his vision to clear back up. Mutters drifted over to his ears, but he couldn't even begin to comprehend what the two could potentially be discussing. It wasn't until Yasunari spoke up that he could finally hear.

"Keep at him, Yamada."

The cell door creaked shut. Yet again, a set of footsteps rounded the captive hero. Shouta expected to be yanked up by his hair. He expected harsh fingers digging into the wound on his shoulder or prodding his broken ribs.

What he didn't expect was to have a pair of gentle hands brush his hair to the side nor the prick in his neck that soon followed.

The tension left his body and a medicated heaviness slowly crept over its place.

_What…the…hell…._

"Wh…what 're y—"

"Shhh…."

Hizashi quickly shushed his feeble attempt to speak. Shouta's eyes drooped shut and he couldn't have reopened them if he tried. He felt the blond adjust his head so it was resting against the man's stomach, admittedly taking the strain off of his neck. He felt himself rapidly fading, the fingers carding through his hair lulling him further into the darkness.

"_You and Tensei were part of the raid, right?"_

_He looked up from his stack of essays to the abnormally quiet blond. The two had been in the teacher's lounge for over an hour and his friend hadn't said anything since he came in and settled down. Come to think of it, Hizashi hadn't been himself since the staff meeting the day before. He'd been absorbed in whatever assignment he was grading. Hizashi didn't even glance up from the papers._

"_Yeah."_

_Hizashi's lips quirked into a frown._

"_Do you think it's Yasunari?" _

_His expression soon mirrored his friend._

"_I sincerely hope it's not."_

"_Is that why you're picking up extra patrols?" Hizashi was finally looking at him now, giving him a sheepish smile. "I happened to catch the tail end of your conversation with Nemuri this morning."_

_He sighed and nodded._

"_I…I don't want it to be him, but if it is, we have to catch him as soon as possible and find those students. We can't let him start up his ring again."_

_It was Hizashi's turn to nod. He looked back to his essays, grading the last few before putting the papers aside and curling up in his sleeping bag._

"_Trying to catch a quick nap before patrol tonight?" _

_He could hear the amused smile in his friend's voice. He grunted and burrowed further into the sleeping bag, eyes drooping closed. There was a beat of silence before Hizashi spoke again._

"_Be careful, Shouta. I don't know what's going on but…just please be careful."_

_His brow furrowed. In their line of work, they always were worried about each other to a degree, but he couldn't recall the last time Hizashi had outwardly expressed it. He could feel the blond's eyes on him and knew the man was anxious. _

"_I will, Hizashi."_

"I'm sorry."

Shouta fought through the haze clouding his mind. The faint yells he heard helped bring him back in to reality. Then he heard footsteps.

A lot of them.

_Is someone… running…and are…those gunshots? What the…hell?_

Someone was shuffling around him, and he could have sworn he felt something lightly drop into his hair. Whoever it was, their breathing hitched.

"I'm so sorry, Sho'."

_Hizashi._

He groaned as he forced himself further back into consciousness.

"Son of a bitch…you're awake…."

Gentle arms embraced him from behind. He felt Hizashi's chin on top of his head.

_Don't touch…me…._

He could feel his arms hanging down by his side instead of being cuffed behind the chair.

"I thought that sedative would keep you out longer," Hizashi's voice was quiet and right next to his ear. "You have to be in so much pain…I'm so sorry. It'll all be over soon. I promise."

_Don't touch me._

Summoning what little strength he had, he tried to push the arms around him away.

"Shouta, settle down! You'll irritate your injuries!" Hizashi instinctively grabbed his wrists to try and keep him still, causing a pained hiss to escape the erasure hero when he gripped the mutilated skin. "Shit, Sho', I'm sorry! Please stay still!"

"Don't…touch me…." he mumbled, not letting up on his weak struggles.

Someone opened the cell door.

"Get Midnight in here!" Hizashi desperately pleaded.

Shouta froze.

_Midnight…she's in on…this too?_

He managed to open his eyes.

_I have…to get out…._

He suddenly twisted out of Hizashi's hold, fire shooting up from his leg and consuming his entire being as he fell off the chair. He couldn't hold back the scream the followed soon after. The blond dove to the ground, barely catching the hero before his beaten body could completely hit the ground.

"Let me…go…."

"Shouta, I'm so—"

The cell door burst open yet again.

"Mic, we've got everyone out, now what…." Nemuri rushed into the cell, but stopped dead in her tracks once she laid eyes on the two. Her hands flew to her mouth as she stared at the massive red puddle covering the ground. Hesitantly, she took a step closer, getting a better view of the unnatural angle at which Shouta's leg was bent and the wounds visible through the tattered remains of the jumpsuit. "Oh, Shouta…."

"Let me go!" the erasure hero grit out, still determined to get out of the blond's hold even in his injured state.

"Put him out!" Hizashi begged.

Nemuri didn't hesitate to kneel next Shouta and rip off the sleeve of her costume. Carefully, she pulled him away from the blond and held him against her, enveloping him in her mist.

"You're safe now, Shouta," she whispered to him. "It's okay. You're safe."

He fought to keep his eyes opened, but his physical struggles had ceased.

_My students…._

Nemuri briefly met his gaze, and he watched her eyes widen in understanding. Much against his wishes, his eyes fluttered shut, but he felt Nemuri lean in close and tuck a piece of hair behind his ear.

"Your students are fine. They're safe. All Might, Cementoss, and Blood King are with them back at the dorms. They're safe."

_They're…safe…._

"We need…him to a...carry him…."

Shouta didn't have a choice other than to welcome the quickly oncoming darkness with open arms.

**And there it is! I was wanting to get this out a lot sooner than I did…but that's life. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This one might have left you with more questions than answers, but hopefully all y'all's questions and concerns will be resolved in the next chapter! Until then!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well hello! I'm back with another chapter that will hopefully answer most, if not all, of your questions! I do apologize for the long wait, but I kept writing and rewriting certain parts of this chapter and it took me much longer to finish than I planned. Anyways, I can't thank you all enough for all of the encouragement and support for this fic! It makes me so happy to know you all enjoy seeing Aizawa in pain just as much as I do…I mean….**

**I do feel the need to add this disclaimer. I have not read the Vigilantes manga, so I don't know a whole lot about Shouta and Hizashi's past, so this chapter may contain content veering off from the manga. For that, I do apologize.**

**Now, on with the story!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

_Where…where…am I…._

Shouta started breaking through the haze that threatened to pull him right back into unconsciousness. The numbness coursing throughout his body did nothing to aid him in his efforts, but this realization made his thoughts stop in their tracks.

_Why do I feel numb?_

He may not have been able to move, but he could feel the soft material underneath him. The familiar scent of disinfectant grew stronger and stronger by the second. Wherever he was, it definitely wasn't in that warehouse.

_Click._

A soft creak followed. He could hear whoever opened the door sigh.

"I see he isn't awake yet."

_Nezu?_

"I told you I'd get you when he wakes up." Came a chuckle from his right. "Considering your quirk, I would've thought you'd know checking up on him won't make him wake up sooner. This is the second time in that last hour you've been here."

_Nemuri?_

"Has he said anything?"

"Don't try to change the subject." Shouta could hear her joke, but it was weak. He didn't have to see her to know her heart wasn't in it. "I'm afraid not. I don't think he's said a word since we got here. I convinced him to at least change after Ishiyama brought him some extra clothes. His other ones were…." He felt a hand on his arm when she trailed off. "He fell asleep a few minutes ago. He needed to. Once he took the makeup off, he looked like he hadn't slept in days."

"From what I hear, he's been quite the busy man. A representative from his agency just arrived. He wanted to speak with us, but especially Aizawa."

"I see. Did they give you an update on the interrogations?"

"The Musutafu police have made seven additional arrests and they won't be slowing down from the looks of it. They've had to make calls to the forces in Tokyo and Yokohama. I guess some of Yasunari's clients had contacts there."

_Seven more arrests?_

"And the Ketsubutsu students?" she asked next.

"They're being kept overnight for observation, but they don't look to be harmed. Both students will be able to go home with their parents tomorrow."

There was a brief moment of silence before another soft creak followed along with the click of the door shutting. He willed his eyes to open. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he managed to peel them open and had to blink a couple times to clear his vision. His brow furrowed when he wasn't immediately blinded.

"Shouta?"

He blinked again before he slowly turned his head to the right. Despite the dimness of the room, he could see Nemuri's white teeth as she smiled. Her hand gently traced from his arm up to his shoulder. Only then did he discover he was covered by an unfortunately familiar flimsy hospital gown.

"Shouta," she breathed, her eyes tearing up. "You…you're…."

At a loss for words, she carefully embraced him, being mindful to not to jostle him too much. Looking down, he noticed bandages covering both of his hands which were resting in his lap. The bandages continued up his left forearm and disappeared under the sleeve of the hospital gown while his right arm was in a sling. His eyes roamed over the blanket that covered his legs. The blanket was raised around his left leg, outlining what must have been a splint. He shifted his gaze back to Nemuri, finally leaning his head into her neck and taking as deep of a breath as his broken ribs would allow.

_I'm actually out._

"Ne…muri…."

He didn't realize until he tried to speak how dry his throat was. Nemuri sprang into action at the sound of his gravelly voice. She got up and fiddled with something next to his bed and a metallic whirring soon followed. Once she raised him up into more of a sitting position, she turned to the table next to his bed.

"Nezu thought you would probably need this when you woke up." She faced him again with a cup of water in hand, carefully placing his hand back in his lap when he automatically reached up to take it from her. "You can't…." Her lips set into a grim line while she stared at his bandaged hand. "Just let me help you."

She lifted his head up and put the cup to his lips. The desire to gulp the water down all in one go nearly overwhelmed him, but he forced himself to take small sips until his eventually drained the cup.

"Thank you," he said as she set the cup back down, his voice not near as raspy.

The bed shifted as Nemuri resumed her place next to him. Her hands clenched the fabric of the dull gray sweatpants she was wearing. Shouta's eyebrows rose.

_Nemuri almost never wears sweatpants…._

He met her gaze once again, but focused on her eyes. Even in the dimness of the room, he could tell they were bloodshot and a small, dark rim was starting to form under them. Her head suddenly bowed, as if she couldn't look him in the eye anymore.

"It's almost two in the morning on Monday," she started.

He glanced at the window, seeing that it was in fact night.

_That certainly explains why the room is so dark. There's no sunlight streaming in._

"We raided the warehouse six hours ago. Sho'…I'm so sorry. You were held captive for eighteen hours. I'd heard you were being interrogated, but I didn't know…." She trailed off and bit her lip. After a few shuddery breaths, she continued. "You have a dislocated shoulder, five broken ribs, and more lacerations than I can count. Your tibia is completely shattered. Y-your hands are…did you lend them to Midoriya for a day?"

Her voice shaking ruined the attempt of a joke, but he couldn't help but appreciate it anyway. He supposed it must look that way considering what….

_Hizashi._

"Where is he?" he asked, suddenly shifting to sit up.

Nemuri gently pushed him back down. She looked over her shoulder and stepped aside. He tensed when he saw Hizashi fast asleep on the lone couch in the room, his face obscured by long blond locks messily falling in front of it.

"He hasn't left your side since we rescued you. I almost couldn't even convince him to change." She looked back to the erasure hero.

_How the hell can he be here?_

A soft groan caused the two to look back over at the blond. The man slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He froze once he caught a glimpse of Shouta. He bolted toward the bed a heartbeat later. He opened his mouth, but closed it almost instantly.

Shouta couldn't remember a time he saw Hizashi at a loss for words.

"I'll let Nezu know you're awake," Nemuri said, turning toward the door.

"Please don't go."

Shouta heard rather than saw her whip back around at the request. He couldn't take his eyes off Hizashi. The blond didn't recoil under the scrutiny. He took a deep breath before marching off toward the door.

"Stay with him. I'll get Nezu."

Nemuri could only watch as Hizashi left the room, mouth slightly agape. She glanced back to Shouta and noticed the tension leaving once the blond was gone.

"Sho', what happened in that warehouse?" she asked. The woman wasn't fazed when she didn't get an answer and returned to her spot next to her friend. "Nezu says there's a representative from Hizashi's agency that want to talk to you. Kan had a bad feeling when you didn't return and called the rest of the staff. His agency notified us that Yasunari had captured you and that Hizashi had the situation under control. I d-didn't think…I…Sho', did you know Hizashi was going undercover?"

Shouta's brow furrowed. While the rest of the staff never divulged any confidential information, they did make a habit of letting each other know if they had to leave for a mission. It'd be irresponsible not to.

_But Hizashi didn't say anything and I can't recall him ever expressing an interest in undercover work. Even if it was just for a mission, we were alone. Why did he…._

The door opening interrupted his thoughts. Nezu stepped into the room, a smile gracing his face when he saw the erasure hero was finally awake, but there was a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

"It's…it's good to see you, Aizawa." He stepped closer to the bed and looked at the IV next to him. "Your morphine drip looks to be getting low. Do you want me to find a nurse—"

"No."

Nezu whipped his head back toward Shouta. The smile quickly disappeared. He took another step closer to the injured man.

"More pain medication will just make me more tired," he explained. "I hear someone from Mic's agency here to speak with me."

The corners of the principal's mouth slightly quirked into a frown. He glanced at Nemuri, and Shouta could see her nod in his peripheral vision. Nezu sighed before returning to the door. Peeking his head out, he motioned for whoever was waiting outside to enter.

A tall man walked into the room, wrinkles evident on his skin and black hair with plenty of silver streaks pulled back into a bun. A fond grin settled over his face when his eyes fell on the erasure hero. He didn't hesitate to bow.

"It's an honor to meet you, Eraserhead," he said, gratitude palpable in his words. "Mic's told me so much about you. I'm glad I finally get to see you in person."

Hizashi shuffled back into the room, but hung back by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He met Shouta's gaze for only a split second before staring daggers into the ground. He took a deep breath and finally spoke when the newcomer straightened back up.

"This is Moto Sadaharu," he mumbled. "He was my first supervisor at Uwanga Hero Office."

Sadaharu chuckled.

"I think it's safe to say that I've been retired for a while now, but I do continue to mentor young heroes and help out from time to time if need be." The grin faded into a grim line and the man's eyes noticeably darkened. "Finding Yasunari's ring was one of my last major assignments before I retired. I remember every hero office in Musutafu and Tokyo having at least one hero investigating and looking for any leads on the man."

_I remember that too._

Shouta was one of the few young heroes searching for the notorious drug and arms dealer. Before they even were aware of the quirk trafficking, Yasunari had made quite the name for himself, especially amongst underground heroes. He remembered being a part of two different operations to hunt him down, neither of which had been anywhere close to successful.

"Everyone was on edge when the children started disappearing. I know everyone at our office was. We didn't have any idea that the two were connected…." Sadaharu trailed off and looked to Hizashi who still hadn't taken his eyes off the ground and he shifted his stance under the man's gaze. His former superior straightened up even more, the warm grin making a return. "Present Mic, why don't you tell them what happened?"

The blond's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"I..I really don't think—"

"Nonsense!" Sadaharu interrupted, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Hizashi, this is _your_ story. We couldn't have pulled this off without you."

Shouta's brow furrowed.

_What the hell does he mean?_

Slowly, Hizashi raised his head to look at the principal and his colleagues.

"Shouta, Nemuri, do you guys remember when I accepted my first internship with my radio station?"

"I thought you were crazy," Shouta deadpanned, voice still slightly raspy.

Nemuri and Hizashi both couldn't stop the snort that followed the blunt statement. The voice hero rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile slowly spreading across his face.

"You might have been right about that. I'm pretty sure I only got two hours of sleep a night for at least month during that internship." He took a deep breath before continuing. "One of the other interns, Eiko, and I got along quite well. We both loved music and would talk about it for hours while we worked. We were both struggling financially, though. I think we can all remember enduring those hard days while we tried to make a name for ourselves as heroes. Eiko was a university student, so he never had money either. We both bitched about being broke, but I don't believe I ever told him why I was struggling. I don't think he would have made me the offer otherwise.

"I can't believe it's been over ten years because I remember it like it was yesterday. Eiko invited me out to a club after our show ended for the day. I didn't have patrol and for the first time in weeks I felt like doing something on my day off. He drove me to the club, and everything seemed fine until we got there. He took his backpack with him and he led me to the front of the line. The bouncer just nodded at him and let us in the club. It was insanely crowded, even for me. Eiko reached into his backpack and handed me a pencil case. He pointed out a guy with neon blue hair near the bathroom and told me that was one of his classmates and asked if I could return his pencil case while he got us some drinks. I didn't question Eiko. The guy didn't look much older than us, so I didn't think anything of it until he took the pencil case and handed me forty thousand yen."

Nemuri and Shouta stared down their friend. The three of them told each other everything, but Hizashi _never _mentioned that to them.

"I was shocked, to say the least," Hizashi continued. "Before I could even try to give it back, the blue-haired guy left. Hell, I didn't even know what was actually in that pencil case. Considering the amount of money I'd been given, it's not too hard to guess. I think it's safe to say I didn't hand that guy some simple narcotics either. Eiko came up to me with one of the biggest smiles I'd ever seen. He said he knew I'd be a perfect partner for him. I didn't question him and did as he asked. He said his boss thought he could use someone to help him deliver the product. I thought about turning him in right then and there, and maybe I should have, but I didn't. I wasn't sure what to think at that point. The more he talked to me that night and tried to 'recruit' me, so to speak, I realized this was a much bigger operation than just a college student selling drugs. At first I found it hard to believe, but looking back, I guess all of us have seen stranger in our line of work."

_That's one hell of an understatement._

Shouta had especially seen things as an underground hero that would plague him for years to come. The thought of a college student being involved in a drug ring really wasn't that far-fetched of an idea.

"I advised him a bit on the matter," Sadaharu chimed in. "From the sounds of it, even if Hizashi had turned Eiko in, he only knew about his boss and nothing else, so we probably couldn't have gotten much information from him. We handed the money Eiko let him keep over to the police to analyze for fingerprints in the case it matched anyone they had in their database. We continued this process with all the money Hizashi obtained from the deliveries and transactions he helped with. Whoever was handling the money made sure not to leave any evidence on it, but thanks to the advances in hero support gear, we were able to implant a tracker and microphone into Hizashi's belt to keep tabs on him and listen in during these transactions."

"They were both so small that I couldn't even tell they were there. Eiko and I were searched during our larger deliveries, and no one suspected a thing. Thanks to the microphone, we were able to pick up a few names and run them through the police database during the transactions. The police traced my location and tailed our clients until they deemed fit to make an arrest or call for a raid if need be." Hizashi shifted his footing and mustered up the courage to meet the gaze of the erasure hero. "I believe you took part in a couple of those, Shouta. I know you remember taking down Kamato's ring."

Shouta's eyes stung from how wide they grew. Any sleepiness that started creeping back up on him fled instantly.

_Kamato managed to build up the biggest stash of heroin the Musutafu police department had ever seen. My colleagues and I spent weeks trying to track him down. I didn't even ask how we got the lead…._

"That was you?" he asked.

Hizashi slightly grinned and nodded.

"The officers following him made sure to wait just long enough to call for the raid so it wouldn't get traced back to Eiko and I. I had my doubts, but it worked. The police kept working with our agency and were able to make several arrests while my cover remained intact."

"Why…why didn't you tell—"

"Two months later, Eiko got a call from his boss," the blond interrupted. "He didn't tell me much except that word of our successful transactions had gotten around and we had been requested for another large delivery. Just like that first night at the club, I should have known something was wrong when we pulled up into what I thought was an abandoned warehouse. Eiko's car was immediately surrounded and we were yanked out and searched as well as the car. Our cell phones, watches, belts…basically everything but the clothes off our backs were confiscated and we were led inside. A man with long brown hair greeted us the second we entered the warehouse."

_Yasunari._

It was the only person Shouta could think of.

"That was the first time I'd officially met Eiko's boss. That was apparently the first time Eiko had ever been invited to the warehouse, too. He walked us over to a stack of boxes. Someone drove Eiko's car and a truck into the warehouse. I was helping Eiko load our next delivery into his car when I saw the men that searched us start unloading the truck. I don't know if we were ever meant to see it. Maybe Eiko's boss didn't care. I'm not even sure Eiko saw it, but someone was carrying a girl out of the truck." Hizashi ran a hand through his hair and his breath hitched in his throat. "She couldn't have been more than twelve. Her eyes were closed, so I could only hope she was just unconscious. I couldn't get her off my mind while we made our delivery. I…I wanted to stop. I wanted to call Sadaharu and the police, but I didn't have my phone. I didn't even have my microphone or tracker. There wasn't much I could do until we finished the delivery and returned to the warehouse.

"That's when Yasunari officially introduced himself to me. He paid Eiko and I and apologized for not giving me a proper introduction, but this was an urgent delivery and he didn't want to leave his client unhappy. He…knew me. He called me by name. I even remember him clapping me on the shoulder and laughing as he paid me, telling me he was glad I started working with Eiko and making real money instead of pursuing hero work."

"He didn't think you truly wanted to be a hero," Nemuri finally spoke up. "He thought you were just in it for the fame or money."

Hizashi bit his lip and nodded.

"Exactly. We all know not every hero has the best motive. Working at a radio station probably gave him the wrong impression. That's the only reason I can think of for him letting me leave that warehouse alive that night. Eiko and I's belongings were returned to us, but I couldn't get myself to call the police. I didn't have the slightest idea what he or his men did to my phone. I left all my stuff at home and ran to Sadaharu's."

The voice hero looked to his former boss, who simply nodded and gave him a reassuring smile before taking over.

"Several of the criminals Hizashi led the police to arresting had some sort of contact with Yasunari. It wasn't until Hizashi mentioned the young girl that I truly realized how dangerous this man was. From my contacts in the police and at other agencies, I knew he was wanted for drug and arms dealing, but I never heard of him being associated with any kidnapping cases. With the kids disappearing around Musutafu, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence and the man had probably decided to broaden his horizons. If I'd known that…hell, if I'd known that Eiko had any connection to Yasunari at all, I wouldn't have let Hizashi to get involved at all."

The blond's breathing started to pick up. Sadaharu put a hand on his back, leaning in and whispering into Hizashi's ear something the other heroes couldn't pick up. Whatever he said seemed to calm the younger man down a bit so he could finally talk.

"I demanded that we move in immediately. Sadaharu worked with the police and called nearly every agency in Musutafu to recruit heroes for the raid. If the missing kids were in that warehouse, we needed all the help we could get. I wasn't surprised to hear that All Might and Endeavor were called in. The police specifically recommended you and Tensei, Shouta. I…I was so proud of you two." His bottom lip trembled just a bit, but he quickly pulled himself together. "Eiko called me a few hours before the raid. Yasunari requested us for another delivery before our shift at the radio station that night. I d-didn't want to do it. I couldn't go back into that warehouse after…." He swallowed and forced himself to take a deep breath. "But I thought Yasunari would get suspicious if I didn't show up. We went to the warehouse and were allowed to keep our phones, which made me think I was right about Yasunari or one of his men messing with them.

"Again, another truck came in. Yasunari's men unloaded several crates while we finished loading up our delivery. Eiko and I had just gotten back in the car when I saw two kids get carried out of that truck. They both looked to be unconscious. At that point, I didn't have any doubts that Yasunari was behind the missing kids. Eiko drove off before I could see if they had any more kids and we made our delivery, but we never made it back to the warehouse. The police had swarmed the industrial park, so Eiko just sped off toward the radio station when we tried to come back. I know the rest of you remember how the raid went…."

Shouta stared at the blond.

_There was never an anonymous tip from some workers seeing a truck pull in to the warehouse. Hizashi was the one to find him. After all that time my colleagues and I searched and never could…._

"What happened to Eiko?" Nemuri asked.

"I..I honestly thought we'd be back just before the raid or the police would catch him when we'd try to come back. I was lucky he wasn't thinking clearly when he decided to head straight to the radio station. I called the police the second we got there, but by the time the officers arrived, he was long gone. Someone at the front desk said he went out to smoke or something, but he never came back and I never heard from him again." Hizashi ran a hand down his face. "I'm starting to think I should have turned him in before the raid, but I didn't want word getting out of his arrest. He had more contact with Yasunari than I did, so I thought that was the smart decision to make…but I guess the results would have been the same either way."

"Seven kids were saved that night," Nezu reminded.

"It should have been all of them, or we at least should've had someone that might know where they went."

Dread nestled itself like a rock in Shouta's chest.

_He blames himself for letting Yasunari get away. For ten years he's thought it's his fault we never found the rest of the kids…._

"Mic, you couldn't have known—

"I didn't hear a thing about Yasunari's ring for nearly a decade." The voice hero cut him off again. "Hearing that All Might was at that raid all those years ago had spooked him enough to flee the country, especially since his trafficking ring had been exposed. Only two days after All Might's retirement, I got a call saying I had another delivery waiting for me. Whoever called me hung up, but I got a text of an address a minute later. I guess old habits die hard because the first thing I did was run to Sadaharu. We went to the office to see if anyone could help us trace the number. When that failed, a few heroes and sidekicks volunteered to trail me and even fitted me with a microphone when I went to the address. Sure enough, Yasunari was planning to return to Japan. He was still in London at the time, but his former recruits had him on the phone and he had a couple of assignments for me, the main one being that I give him an inside look at Yuuei. Since I've made a name for myself as a radio host, I guess he thought my motives hadn't changed over the years."

He looked to Sadaharu who then reached into his jacket pocket and took out a couple of bags, each containing a pair of glasses. Shouta's eyes widened when he realized those glasses were bagged for evidence. Sadaharu walked over to the two teachers.

"I can't take these out of the bag. Tsuragamae didn't like the idea of me taking them in the first place and made me swear I'd bring them right back, but all things considered he kind of owed me a favor." The older man handed a pair of glasses to Nemuri. "Yasunari's recruits gave Hizashi these modified glasses."

Shouta's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when the somnambulist allowed him to get a better look at the bag. In it was a pair of glasses identical to the ones Hizashi wore with his hero costume, but a small red dot in the far corner of the right lens caught his attention. It disappeared, then reappeared just as quick.

_Is it flashing?_

"Support technology has come a long way since we were in school," Hizashi said, bringing the erasure hero out of his thoughts. "Unfortunately, it seems like the villains haven't had any difficulty keeping up. Yasunari wanted me to use these to get a closer look at the students."

"Sadaharu spoke with me right after this meeting." Shouta turned to Nezu who'd been silent up until this point. "He made me aware of the situation. Since all of our students are exposed to the entire country during the Sports Festival, I didn't see any issues if Yasunari was just getting footage of them during their English class. However, I didn't let him anywhere near the dorms or have him overseeing any training exercises."

The blond's stance shifted and he wrapped his arms around himself.

"With everything that's happened at Yuuei this past year alone, it shouldn't have bothered me as much. Like Nezu said, we showcase our students every year, but it broke my heart to wear those glasses to campus, but if I didn't…I…I just couldn't lose this opportunity. I needed to keep up my role if I had any chance of seeing Yasunari again and finding out what happened to those kids. The man was desperate to get his ring up and going again. He called me the day after I rejoined the ring and said his clients wanted more information on specific students they were interested in buying. That's…that's the first time I'd heard him admit he was selling the kids. Unfortunately, he wasn't back in Japan yet, so there wasn't much I could do except deliver everything he told me to and tell him whatever information I knew on the requested students, which thankfully wasn't more than what he'd already seen at the Sports Festival or what information his contacts could get their hands on."

"How long did you keep this up?" Nemuri asked incredulously.

"Two months," Hizashi answered with a rueful grin. "It…It's been hard, but I couldn't lose this chance. I couldn't even go to Sadaharu this time around. When I returned to my apartment after my first radio show since rejoining the ring, I knew something was wrong. The curtain in front of my living room window was pulled aside, and I know I didn't leave them that way. I saw a pair of glasses similar to my civilian lenses next to my bed, almost exactly like I left them that morning. I think they were hoping I wouldn't notice. Due to the fact I'm a hero, Yasunari probably wanted to keep tabs on me. The microphone implanted in my belt was the only link I had to any other heroes, and I couldn't even hear them."

_What if something happened to the…._

As if he'd read Shouta's mind, Sadaharu spoke up.

"If something happened to the microphone and we couldn't hear him, we would've ended this operation. Hell, I'd go in myself and get him out of that warehouse if that's what I had to do."

"I…I almost called for a raid the second Yasunari returned to Musutafu and got his hands on those Ketsubutsu students. They weren't being harmed. They were just being sedated. Originally they were only supposed to be there a couple of days before Yasunari's client showed up for their order, but that date kept getting pushed back because he couldn't get anywhere near the dorms. The lab that wanted them also wanted a couple of students from Class 1-A, and they'd rather get their entire order all at once…."

Hizashi trailed off, and Shouta could tell the blond's hands were shaking. That's when the weight of his words crashed into him like a tidal wave.

_Lab…what the hell kind of lab is he talking about…._

"I…I tried to go to the warehouse as often as I could to keep an eye on them. If I wasn't at Yuuei or the radio station, I was at that warehouse. Being there knowing those kids were there…hearing them talk about selling your kids, Sho'…those kids that I love to see every day…th-that was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I wasn't sure it could get much worse, but Yasunari was growing impatient. His clients were too. They told him to have their orders earlier this evening or they wouldn't continue business anymore."

The trembling in Hizashi's hands grew more violent and he bit his lip. Sadaharu put an arm around the blond, the shaking eventually coming to a halt.

"I f-figured you'd just pick up extra patrols on your usual route. I had no idea you'd be out toward that industrial park. I didn't think anything of it when Yasunari called me after my radio show, the last thing I expected was to find you in that warehouse."

The bed shifted as Nemuri twisted more toward her injured friend. He felt rather than saw her eyes on him. He'd set his sights on the two bags again, now looking at the pair of black frames.

"Nemuri, let me see…."

She lifted the bag with the simple black frames so he could get a better look. His brow furrowed as he scanned the lenses. He completely sagged against the bed when he saw a small flashing red dot within the far right corner of the frame, nearly blending in with the black.

_They were watching him._

Sadaharu spoke up.

"As soon as we realized Yasunari caught you, Eraser, I called Nezu. We immediately notified police and gathered enough heroes to raid that warehouse whenever Hizashi called for it. We knew it wouldn't be much longer."

_Shit…that whole time…they were watching him._

"Yasunari thought I could convince you to cooperate," Hizashi chuckled humorlessly. "I told him hell would freeze over before you ever did, but that didn't stop him. He gave me a chance to take it a bit easier on you, but he didn't have much patience at all."

_All that time I thought we were alone, we really weren't. They were watching him._

"He was desperate. I guess he promised his clients he'd have their orders, so they were already on their way. He'd already chewed me out for sedating you when you first arrived at the warehouse. I had to…no, I didn't have to…at the time, I just couldn't see another way…Shouta, I'm so—"

The erasure hero looked up when Hizashi's voice broke. The blond opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. Nemuri's gaze shifted between her two colleagues.

"Hizashi, please tell me you didn't…."

The tears streaming down Hizashi's cheeks gave her all the answers she needed. She covered her mouth, trying to fight the tears welling up in her own eyes and leaning into Shouta's good shoulder. Nezu's lips quirked into a thin line and he crossed his arms. The tension within the room thickened with each passing second, at least until Shouta broke through it.

"They were watching you."

The statement made Nezu perk up, but his nose was still slightly crinkled.

"Yamada, did Yasunari's clients have access to the recordings from the camera in your glasses?"

_He was never truly working with them._

Hizashi swallowed and nodded. It took him a few deep breaths before he could speak again.

"Yasunari knew Shouta and I were good friends from what he'd picked up over the last couple of months. I know some of his men were questioning my loyalty when they first captured you, and I have no doubts his clients probably were too. They were already on their way…I c-couldn't…I didn't know what to do." He summoned the courage to look Shouta in the eye. "I didn't want to do that to you. I'm so sorry that I helped those bastards…but I'm not you, Sho'. You would have known what do. I'm not cut out for this kind of work. All I could think was I could try to take it easier on you, but Yasunari's men didn't allow a chance for that. Th-that cut on your arm…."

The blond gestured vaguely toward Shouta, who automatically glanced down to his bandaged forearm. The memory of the knife digging in and slowly slicing through the flesh resurfaced instantly, and the erasure hero swore the wound throbbed despite the painkillers flooding his system.

"That was dangerous. I can't even imagine how much that hurt, and if my hand had slipped even a little…but there was no way in hell Yasunari was going to let you bleed out. Several of his men were qualified to care for you in case they got too carried away." Hizashi visibly shuddered. "Yasunari was dead set on keeping you for himself. I'd hoped that an injury like that would make him reconsider his tactics and take it easier on you, especially since he took it upon himself to stop me before it could get too serious, but that's obviously not what happened…."

_Hizashi was never a villain._

He trailed off and he stared at the erasure hero, and everyone else in the room turned to do the same. Shouta closed his eyes and let the manic grin that often instilled nothing but terror in his students spread across his face. He ignored the tightness in his chest after each nearly silent huff of laughter escaped him.

"You were helping me," Shouta said, shaking his head. "I should've known. In the only way you could in this situation, you were trying to help me. I actually thought you—"

"Last time I checked, mutilating someone's hands isn't helping them, Shouta!" Hizashi yelled, frantically wiping at his eyes.

"You could've done a lot worse. Yasunari proved that. You spared me as much as you could while maintaining your cover. Considering the situation, you took the most logical course of action. Did you get Yasunari?"

"Y-yes but—"

"And did you get his clients?"

Hizashi sniffled before slowly nodding.

"Yasunari snapped when his clients arrived. I guess he'd tested the last of their patience. When you still wouldn't give him the information he needed, he lashed out. Once I was sure everyone arrived, I gave the signal for Sadaharu to proceed with the raid. We got everyone that came to the warehouse. The police are interrogating them as we speak and might make even more arrests."

"There's been seven already," Sadaharu chimed in. "Some of those arrested at the warehouse have been quite cooperative with us. Others, not so much, but police are working around the clock until they get some answers."

"But that doesn't justify tor—" the blond tried to protest, but Shouta didn't let him.

"You did what a hero should have done, Hizashi. Even faced with a tough decision, you kept up your role and helped capture one of the most dangerous criminals we'll probably ever see in our time. You saved two students from Ketsubutsu and prevented countless others from sharing a similar fate."

Hizashi opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. For the second time that night, he was speechless. The ringing of a phone cut through the silence. Sadaharu swiftly stepped out, leaving the principal and his three instructors alone. Shouta could only watch as Hizashi wrapped his arms around himself again, as if he were about to fall apart. The voice hero shifted his gaze back down to his feet.

"C-can I have a minute alone w-with Shouta?" he stammered.

Nezu glanced to the erasure hero who was already nodding. He gave Hizashi a small grin.

"Of course. We should probably call Kan and Ishiyama anyway. I know they're wanting an update on Aizawa."

Shouta felt Nemuri's grip on his arm tighten briefly before she finally got off the bed, the two making their way toward the door. Nezu held it open for her, but he paused and looked back to the homeroom and English teachers.

"I've known you both for a long time now, and yet you both never cease to amaze me." The grin split into a fond smile. "Yamada, you completed a mission that very few heroes could ever see through, practically alone. Aizawa, you suffered through more pain than a human should ever have to endure to keep your students safe, and this isn't the first time. You two are incredible heroes, and your students are very fortunate to have you to look up to. I sincerely hope you both can understand that."

Nezu left them alone. Hizashi hesitantly took a step closer to Shouta's bed and tightened his arms around himself.

"Sadaharu is busy for the next few days, but I asked if he would come back when he could or send someone else from the office to discuss your options."

Shouta's brow furrowed.

_Options? What the hell?_

"Our agency is covering your medical expenses. However, if you choose to pursue legal action against me or my agency, we can—"

"Pursue legal action-Hizashi, that doesn't make any sense!"

"It does!" the blond nearly snapped right back. "You have every right to. I could have called for a raid or rescued you at any time, but I didn't. You suffered as a result of my decisions, and I even inflicted some of your injuries myself. Sadaharu and several others at the agency knew of your situation as well, but chose to wait for my signal. You're a hero, Sho'. You know that it's not intentional, but we sometimes damage property or hurt innocent civilians while trying to do our job. You need to know your options in terms of proceeding—"

"Dammit, I'm not suing you or your agency!" Shouta interrupted again. "Because of you, Yasunari has finally been caught. Yes, the circumstances were quite unfortunate, but you did everything right and even tried to help me the best you could." Hizashi started to protest, but the erasure hero didn't give him a chance to say a word. "I can't imagine how difficult this entire operation was for you to pull off. I definitely don't want to imagine you facing this ten years ago. Nezu was right. You're a true hero, Hizashi."

There was no missing the way the blond stiffened at the words.

"A true hero would have seen the bigger picture and caught Yasunari a decade ago."

Shouta's eyes widened.

_That's why he never told Nemuri or I about Eiko or his involvement in this case. He probably considers that his biggest mistake._

"If…if I hadn't called for that raid when I saw the kids…" Hizashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If I'd have just thought things through back then and worked my way further into Yasunari's ring, we probably could've caught him and found all of those missing kids and none of this would've happened."

"You were barely older than my own students. You shouldn't have been in a situation to make that call in the first place."

"Maybe you're right, but that doesn't change—"

"Hizashi," Shouta began, fighting to keep the exhaustion out of his tone, "I can't tell you how you should feel. All I can tell you is that I firmly believe you made the right decision. I don't think another hero could have successfully pulled off this operation like you did. I…I hope you can forgive me for some of the things I said to you in that warehouse. We've been friends for nearly half our lives, and I genuinely thought you were a villain. I never should have doubted you for a second."

"But I gave you every right to."

"It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? I helped interrogate you and worked with the people that were trying to abduct your students, Shouta!"

"Would you have let them?" The blond jolted at the question, a beat of silencing passing between the two. "Would you? What would you have done if I'd cooperated?"

Hizashi winced, but answered nonetheless.

"I would've signaled Sadaharu to raid the warehouse. I wasn't going to let them actually get near Yuuei. Potentially, we could've still caught Yasunari, but we wouldn't know who was going after the kids in the first place. Then there's the possibility that he could have escaped and gone back into hiding." He shot his friend a small grin. "You know, we couldn't have done this without you either, Sho'. You held out long enough for Yasunari's clients to show up. He was so preoccupied with getting answers out of you and dealing with his clients that he didn't pay any attention to me. He pretty much gave up on you too after he broke your—" Shouta didn't miss the hitch in his breath. It took a few seconds before he could speak again. "Anyways, it was pretty easy for me to call for the raid, but it was hell waiting for the heroes to arrive."

"Was that when you sedated me?"

Hizashi's eyebrows rose and he nodded.

"You were drifting in an out, so it wouldn't have been suspicious if you were unconscious if he came to check on you. With the clients at the warehouse, no one was really paying attention to anything my glasses were recording. You had to be in so much pain. I was hoping that sedative would've kept you out until the raid was over and we could get you to a hospital…." He trailed off when he saw the erasure hero's smirk. "I may have tried to help you then, but that _still doesn't excuse what I did to you_."

"I know it's difficult for you to understand, but I'll say it again: you made the right decision. I'm not going to hold anything against you. I can't say I would've handled this operation any differently. You have my complete respect as a hero, Yamada Hizashi, and I'm proud to call a hero like you my friend."

Hizashi's head bows, and Shouta can see the subtle shaking of his shoulders.

_We're finally getting through to him._

He knew it was going to be a long process. It was going to take his friend a long time to truly understand and move past the events of this operation, but maybe this could be a start.

"Th-thank you, Sho'."

The blond raised his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear, maybe a little too fast because Shouta flinched at the movement.

_Dammit!_

He clenched his eyes shut, almost unable to look up at his friend. When he finally mustered up the courage to do so, he nearly closed his eyes again.

Hizashi's mouth was open, hand frozen in place behind his ear. Fresh tear tracks lined his cheeks, and more started flowing down the exact same path.

_You idiot…he's your friend._

"Hizashi, I'm…."

The voice hero slowly stepped closer to the bed, keeping his hands in Shouta's sight. Cautiously, he sat down on the bed. His lips quirked into a thin line. Always maintaining eye contact with his colleague, he gently placed a hand on his arm, trailing it up to his uninjured shoulder.

"Hizashi?"

Shouta let the hand move behind his back and allowed his friend to carefully embrace him.

"We're going to be okay. I…I promise we're going to be okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flinched. I should've—"

"You don't have a reason to apologize," Hizashi whispered, the shaking evident in his voice despite the unusual softness of it. "What…what kind of hero tortures their friend?"

Shouta wasn't sure the blond meant to ask the question out loud. He shifted his only useful arm as best he could around his colleague, letting rest against his lower back.

_Hizashi needs this more than anything._

He took a deep breath and found himself leaning into Hizashi's neck.

"You're still my friend. You will always be my friend. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, we're going to be okay." The blond's shaking intensified. "Okay, Hizashi?"

Shouta wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. He wasn't sure how long it took for Hizashi to stop shaking. He wasn't sure how much longer he could fight off the impending exhaustion. He let his eyes flutter shut.

"Okay, Sho'."

The erasure hero fell limp against his friend. Hizashi gently shifted him to completely lie back against the bed. However, the presence at his side didn't vanish. As unconsciousness came to claim him, a gentle hand ran through his hair.

_I promise, Hizashi, we're going to be okay. It might take a while for both of us, but we'll be okay._

_We always are._

**Well, there it is! I hope the length of the chapter makes up for the wait. Again, I have not read the Vigilantes manga, so I do apologize if there were any inconsistencies regarding Hizashi's hero agency or radio work. Seriously. I don't even know if that's addressed or not.**

**Anyways, I very much enjoyed writing some badass Present Mic. I do acknowledge that this really wouldn't be his sort of hero work, but having him stumble across this whole situation by accident just made my angst-loving heart quite happy. I hope you all enjoyed it too. **

**One last chapter to wrap up this little tale, then on to another adventure with our favorite heroes. Until then!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I have returned with the final chapter of this little tale! Thank you all so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing this fic! Your feedback means the world to me and will help me in my future writing endeavors for this fandom! Anyways, on with the last chapter!**

**I do not own My Hero Academia.**

***two days later***

Nemuri's heels clacked against the floor, echoing in the now empty halls only to be drowned out by the bell ringing. She'd nearly forgotten there was someone behind her until she heard a wet cough. She and Toshinori came to a stop in front of the classroom door. Already, they could hear the students chattering. The somnambulist rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was about to open the door when a hand gripped her shoulder.

"If you can't do this, I understand. You've worked so hard the last few days and you probably haven't slept well at all. I'm sure I could handle them for a day, and Ishiyama said he would come in if I needed—"

"It's fine." She winced when she realized how sharp her tone was. She turned back to her colleague with a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, Yagi, but Nezu said Aizawa wanted me help you with his class for the day."

Yagi nodded, and she opened the door. The commotion stirring up in the room ceased instantly. Nemuri had just stepped beyond the doorway before she stopped, the retired hero running into her.

Each student turned toward the door, nearly all of their shoulders slumping when they saw it was her. Even Katsuki. Silently, they all settled down in their seats. She scanned the room. Most of the students were staring down at their desks, but one-by-one, they slowly looked up to meet her gaze. Her lips gave into the slightest upward quirk.

_They were hoping Shouta would be here…._

She approached the podium, the tension thickening with every step she took. She glanced down at the binders in her arms. Shouta had been insistent she use his lesson plans until he could return, but she shifted her gaze back to the students. Each one looked as though they had a million questions running through their minds. Some, like Ochako and Denki, were actually sitting on the edge of their chairs, probably not even aware they were doing so. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

_There's no chance in hell they can pay attention. _

"I know you all must have questions," her voice sliced through the silence, jolting some of the kids out of their thoughts. She looked to Yagi whose eyebrows rose at the simple statement. "I know Blood King wasn't permitted to tell you much. All you were probably told was that Eraser wouldn't be back for a few days. Am I correct in assuming you weren't even given a reason for classes being canceled yesterday?"

Most of the kids nodded at that. Momo raised her hand.

"King-sensei wouldn't let us watch the news. We don't know what happened and we understand that you might not be able to share everything with us," she said, shifting in her seat and biting her lip, "but can you at least tell us how Aizawa-sensei's doing?"

The somnambulist forced herself to grin.

"He's doing quite well. He's taking a few days to rest—"

"Please don't lie to us."

All eyes in the room turned toward Hitoshi. Nemuri reluctantly met the gaze of her friend's protégé, the dark circles under his eyes nearly as prominent as Shouta's. Dark and calculating indigo eyes stared right back at her and didn't back down.

"_Just so you're prepared, Shinsou, Jirou, and Midoriya are already suspicious and know something happened to Aizawa. I don't know what those three might tell their classmates…."_

"If he was really okay, wouldn't he be here right now?" Hitoshi asked.

The students turned back around, and Nemuri could see they all shared the same concern. She slumped against the podium and buried her face in her hands, Sekijirou's warning having done very little to help her for this situation.

_There's no bullshitting these kids. Shouta may not like this, but…._

She heard a chair screech and someone stand up. She didn't even need to look to see who it was, practically envisioning the hand motions.

"Shinsou, I'm sure Midnight-sensei is only telling us what she's been allowed to—"

"I haven't seen him conscious since he first woke up in the hospital," Nemuri interrupted Tenya's rant. She rubbed her eyes and finally raised her head. "I didn't exactly lie when I said he's resting for a few days. He's had three sessions with Recovery Girl since we found him, and each one is taking more energy out of him than the last. Last I heard, his last two broken ribs had been healed, so he's able to breathe properly now." She shifted her stance and crossed her arms. "I don't know how many of you will remember, but ten years ago, sixteen kids around your age disappeared, and that was just around Musutafu. They'd fallen victim to a man named Yasunari Umeji, who'd started a quirk trafficking ring."

At that, Tenya and Shouto's eyebrows furrowed. Nemuri continued.

"Some of you have probably heard that name. All Might and Endeavor were part of the original raid to take down his ring. It was one of Eraser's first major raids as a pro."

"We found a few of the missing kids and some from Tokyo," Toshinori interjected, "but the ring was gone and we had no leads on where the rest of the kids were. We never found out what happened to them or the ring. When I retired, Yasunari thought he could start the ring back up again. He was spotted for the first time in a decade only a couple weeks ago."

"Was he behind the missing Ketsubutsu students?" Izuku asked.

Nemuri's eyes widened and she glanced to Toshinori who was mirroring her expression. Ochako perked up.

"We were watching the news last night and we saw something about a raid and some heroes finding two missing students. We didn't hear the whole story before King-sensei turned it off and wouldn't let us watch anything else. Is that why?"

The retired hero crossed his arms and nodded.

"Yes. Eraser started picking up extra patrols once they went missing. He wanted to find them and hunt Yasunari down before any more kids went missing."

"And he was targeting students at Yuuei?" Todoroki added bluntly.

Nemuri's nails dug into her arm and she clenched her jaw.

_These kids are too damn smart for their own good._

"Eraser had his suspicions, which was understandable given the fact we broadcast the Sports Festival across all of Japan."

"Were any of us—" Todoroki started, but was interrupted instantly.

"After everything that's happened this year, he worked relentlessly to upgrade Yuuei's security system and helped expand that over to the dorms before you all moved in. Yasunari couldn't get on campus no matter how hard he tried, but we underestimated the lengths he was willing to go to get his order for his clients. He wanted that empire he built over a decade ago. When he couldn't breach our security, he grew desperate. Eraser was on patrol in his vicinity, and Yasunari saw his last chance to get his ring back up and going."

An eerie silence covered the room like a thick blanket. Nemuri could swear some of the students weren't even breathing. She didn't miss Asui's knuckles turning white from her slowly tightening grip on the desk. She certainly didn't miss the tiny flashes that sparked from Katsuki's palms, or the fact that no one paid it any mind.

"He was interrogated for hours, but he didn't give up any information no matter what Yasunari did to him. He held out until we were signaled to raid—"

"Why the hell did you all wait?"

A clanging chair jolted the class out of their daze. Katsuki's brow was furrowed and he looked behind him, as if surprised by his own outburst. He quickly righted his chair and sat back down. Crossing his arms, he set his gaze back on the somnambulist.

"If you knew Aizawa-sensei was being interrogated, why would you not get him out right away?"

_If only you knew how much I wanted to._

"Unfortunately, we were under orders to wait. Mic said Yasunari's clients were on their way, and we needed to apprehend as many of them as we could…."

Toshinori's bloody cough made Nemuri lose her train of thought. She looked to her colleague only to find eyes as wide as saucers staring back at her. Izuku raised his hand.

"How did Mic-sensei know Yasunari's clients were on the way?"

The somnambulist clamped her hand over her mouth.

_Shit._

Based on the looks the rest of Class-A were giving her, they were all thinking the same thing.

_Shit._

"Midnight-sensei," Kyouka spoke up next, "is there a reason Mic-sensei isn't here? He usually tries to cover homeroom if…."

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Nemuri couldn't hear a single thing the future heroine was saying. Hell, she didn't even know if the girl was still talking.

_What the hell do I say? If they know what Hizashi had to do…but if they think he simply delayed Shouta's rescue…dammit, Shouta, I really wish you were here right now. You'd know exactly what to say._

"I…well…he's c-currently staying with Eraserhead at the hospital," Toshinori stammered.

Nemuri let a soft grin spread across her face. She scanned the room, eyeing each individual student.

_These kids have seen so much, but they're still here. They're strong. They're going to be great heroes, especially with a teacher like Shouta. And Shouta would use this as an opportunity._

"Present Mic managed to get a position in Yasunari's ring," she started. She could practically feel the apprehension radiating off her colleague, but she continued. "While he usually doesn't engage in underground work, he didn't care. The last time Yasunari disappeared, not a single hero saw him for a decade, so Mic wasn't going to lose the opportunity. He gained as much intel as he could, and he knew Yasunari's clients were coming to Musutafu Sunday night, but he didn't expect Eraser to get captured."

She paused when some of the students glanced at each other. No one said a word. Izuku was the brave one to once again raise his hand.

"Did Mic-sensei have to…." The kid trailed off, unable to even finish the question.

Nemuri firmly gripped the podium and sighed. No amount of mental preparation could have prepared her for that, but she found herself nodding anyway.

"As I'm sure most of you understand at this point, hero work isn't necessarily black and white. It's easy to look at a situation and think you know the right decision. It…It'd be really easy to get angry at Mic for not saving Eraser right away, but you have to look at the bigger picture. If Mic blew his position, Yasunari wouldn't have been arrested that night. We never would have known who his clients were or their reasons for their targets. Some of the men we arrested were actually Yasunari's previous clients. We found five of the kids that disappeared all those years ago _alive. _Others…were unfortunately not so lucky, but their families will finally have closure.

"Present Mic successfully pulled off an operation that took down one of the most dangerous trafficking rings we'll probably ever see in our lifetime, and he was practically alone. Most pros couldn't have done that, especially if it meant tor…." She stopped herself when Ochako paled, as well as a few of the students around her. She took a deep breath. "I know it's hard to imagine and I sincerely hope none of you are ever faced with that situation, but I can't guarantee that. I wish hero work was as simple as taking down a couple villains in the street and consoling some scared civilians, but that's not reality. You will have to make difficult decisions throughout your career that won't always feel like the right thing. I know that's exactly how Present Mic is feeling right now.

"Without him, we wouldn't have saved the Ketsubutsu students. We wouldn't have known that at least five of those missing kids had been alive all this time and couldn't have reunited them with their families. Hell, we would've never known who Yasunari's clients were and couldn't have gotten them off the streets. Present Mic did the right thing. Every hero would agree. Eraser assured him of that fact and even said he would've taken the same course of action. Deep down, as a hero, Mic knows he made the right decision, but as Eraser's friend…I…I know it certainly doesn't feel that way.

"Now, he starts to move forward. Eraser starts to move forward. All we can do is move forward and continue to do our job as heroes. It's going to take time, and we can't if we don't look out for and support each other." She grinned at the class before her. "So try to take it easy on Eraser when he comes back. He's getting discharged this afternoon, but he still needs several sessions with Recovery Girl before he's completely healed and he wants to get back to teaching you all as soon as he can."

The tension in the room slowly dissipated as the class went on; and if Nemuri and Toshinori overheard some plans to make dinner for Shouta when he got back to the dorms, they certainly didn't need to spoil the surprise for him.

***break***

"Damn," Shouta grunted as he finally managed to pull the shirt over his head.

His chest heaved as he caught his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow, and he nearly scowled as he felt a drop running down his face.

_It shouldn't be this difficult to put on a damn shirt, but I can finally breathe properly…._

Just the thought of his earlier session with Recovery Girl made him want to crawl back under Nemuri's blanket and take another nap. His ribs were no longer broken, and the fingers on his left hand were healed. He had to fight the urge to groan when he thought about the fact that it would probably take a couple weeks for his leg to be completely healed. He froze when the door cracked open.

"Nemuri should have the car ready for—Shouta, what the hell are you doing?"

The erasure hero hung his head. Hesitant footsteps approached his bed. He finally looked up to see Hizashi with his hands up in front of him.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Shouta nodded. Hizashi gently eased his right arm through the sleeve.

"I thought we told you to call someone if you needed help."

"I didn't think I'd need it," Shouta huffed as he managed to get his left arm through the sleeve, the blond tugging the cloth over the bulge of the bandages. His eyes narrowed when Hizashi picked up a sling, his friend cracking a grin. "That's not necessary—"

"Doctor's orders. Besides, you insisted that he set your shoulder back in place instead of Recovery Girl."

"Don't remind me," the erasure hero grumbled.

Hizashi's grin suddenly vanished. Following his friend's gaze, his eyes traveled down the black sweatpants he miraculously dressed himself in to the massive boot encasing his leg. The voice hero shook his head, as if expelling the memory from his mind, and helped Shouta get his arm in the sling.

"You were asleep when Nezu discussed it with us, but he thought it'd be best if Nemuri and I stayed with you while you recover."

"Of course he does."

"It won't be that bad, Sho'!" Hizashi's smile returned. "It's only for a little while. I'll be moving into the second year hero students' dorms after that."

Shouta's eyebrows rose. Before he had the chance to ask any questions, there was another knock on the door. Nemuri poked her head in.

"Sorry I'm running late! I ran into someone in the that really wanted to see you. Is it all right if he comes in?"

He glanced to Hizashi, instantly noting his furrowed brow, but nodded anyway.

_The students aren't allowed off campus. Who the hell…._

"You two could at least try to look a bit happier to see me."

"Tensei!" Hizashi yelled, the bed shaking when his quirk slipped a tad.

Nemuri wheeled their friend further into the room, and Hizashi was at his side, bending down and giving him a hug. Shouta could feel a rare grin gracing his face.

"What are you doing here?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I was actually worried I'd already missed you," Tensei laughed. "None of you three were answering your phones, but that's understandable, all things considered. I heard the R-Rated Hero participated in three raids in the last forty-eight hours, if I'm correct?"

Nemuri nodded and smiled.

"It's been a long last few days, to put it lightly," she said as she rubbed her eyes.

"We're glad you made it!" Hizashi said, finally straightening up.

Tensei looked between the voice and erasure heroes, eyes gleaming.

"I heard you two are the reason for arresting Yasunari Umeji." Hizashi and Shouta both froze, but Tensei kept going despite the tension and confusion radiating off his friends. "Some of the heroes at Team Idaten shared the details with me since I was part of the initial raid. I…I truly can't believe it. After all these years...after that failed raid Shouta and I were in…after no sign of him for a decade…and two of my greatest friends were the ones to catch him. I'm so _incredibly _proud of you two."

Hizashi opened his mouth, but Shouta spoke up before the man could say a word.

"Present Mic actually carried out the bulk of this operation," he looked to his friend and his grin returned, "and he was alone. That's something you should be proud of, Hizashi."

The blond closed his mouth, but Tensei kept his gaze on Shouta. Hizashi took a few deep breaths. While none of the heroes in the room would mention it, they knew he was on the verge of tears. Tensei seemed to be his saving grace.

"Would you guys mind if I had a minute alone with Shouta?"

Nemuri wheeled Tensei closer to the bed before slinging an arm around Hizashi's shoulders and steering him out of the room. Shouta scratched the back of his head and stared down at his lap. He could feel Tensei's eyes boring into him. His friend reached out and gently touched the massive boot on his leg.

"Shouta—"

"There's nothing else to say, Tensei."

"Bullshit."

"If you have anything else to say, go talk to Hiz—"

"No, Shouta." Tensei leaned forward, meeting Shouta's gaze despite the hair surrounding his face. "I want to talk to _you."_

Neither one of them spoke for a moment. Finally, Shouta raised his head. Tensei leaned back in his chair, taking his friend's silence as his cue to continue.

"When we didn't catch Yasunari in that raid, I truly thought we'd never hear of him again. I never could've imagined he'd return to Musutafu or the fact that he and his clients were bold enough to target Yuuei students."

Shouta gripped the edge of the bed with his good hand.

"How'd you know about that?"

"I read the reports, Shouta." The erasure hero's blood ran cold at the words. "Or I've at least read everything that's been documented as of this morning. I wasn't lying when I said some heroes from Team Idaten kept me updated. They were aware I'd tried to catch him ten years ago—"

"Tensei—"

"Tenya was on Yasunari's list." Tensei hung his head, the hand on Shouta's leg now clutching the material of his sweatpants. "That's why my former team brought copies of the reports to me. My little brother…was on that bastard's list…and you didn't tell him anything."

"No hero would have."

"After what you suffered through, Shouta, I can guarantee that most heroes would've cracked. The reports didn't spare any details. You…after what Yasunari and his men did to you…."

"Hizashi never would've let them anywhere near Yuuei even if I—"

"But you didn't know that! You didn't know about the raid. You thought they could've interrogated you for weeks, and you didn't care. You weren't going to spill anything to Yasunari no matter the consequences. You protected all of those kids. You protected my little brother." For his friend's sake, Shouta wouldn't comment that his voice cracked. "I don't know how I can ever repay you, Shouta."

"You don't have to."

Tensei took a deep breath and rubbed a hand down his face. He shook his head and smiled at the erasure hero.

"I will someday, I promise you that. It's going be hard not to once my parents hear about this. It won't be long. News about Yasunari's arrest is spreading around the city like wildfire, and it's only going to get worse if a reporter finds out that Yuuei students were targeted. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a long line of parents wanting to talk to you in the upcoming weeks."

Shouta rolled his eyes and inwardly groaned at the thought, but he couldn't help but grin. It faded the second Nemuri and Hizashi strolled back into the room with a wheelchair. He glared at it.

"No."

"It's not optional, Sho'," the blond laughed. "It's just to get you down to the car."

He grumbled as he eased himself off the bed, Hizashi at his side in an instant to help him into the chair. The voice hero wheeled him out of the room, Nemuri and Tensei just a step behind them. The four weaved their way through the halls to the entrance. Shouta spotted Nemuri's car out front the second they passed through the door. Another car pulled up right behind it and Tensei perked up.

"Looks like Enigma was kind enough to pull up the car for me." He turned to his friends when the young sidekick got out of the car. "It was good to see you all again. Next time, let's not wait until the next mastermind gets arrested to meet up."

Hizashi helped Tensei's former sidekick get him into the car while Nemuri unlocked her own. She smiled at him as she opened the door.

"Let's get you back to the dorms. I know your students are looking forward to your return."

***break***

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Hizashi asked.

"I'm fine," Shouta huffed.

He finally made it up the last step to Heights Alliance, chest heaving as he came to a stop.

_It shouldn't be this difficult to climb up some damn stairs._

After he managed to catch his breath, he slowly hobbled toward the door. Nemuri opened it and the three were instantly greeted with a booming voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You'll burn down the damn kitchen, now get the hell out!"

Shouta never would've thought he'd miss Katsuki's yelling, but he couldn't have been more wrong. He briefly closed his eyes.

_They're all still here…they're safe…._

He slowly made his way through the door to the common area, Nemuri right by his side and Hizashi falling behind once he stepped into the building. The television glowed and a group of students were scattered amongst the couches and tables. Ochako and Hitoshi were seated closest to the incoming trio. His mentee glanced over his shoulder and jolted to his feet.

"Sensei!"

That caught the attention of the other students in the common room.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Get out, Deku!" Katsuki's voice boomed, drowning out the sound coming from the television.

Izuku was promptly shoved out of the kitchen with his head down. He glanced up, a wide smile spreading across his face when he saw his teacher. Eijirou rushed out and put a hand on Izuku's shoulder, but his face soon mirrored his classmate's.

"Aizawa-sensei!" the red head exclaimed.

That got Katsuki to poke his head out of the kitchen. The three heroes were suddenly met with a dozen students that looked ready to embrace their homeroom teacher. The boot and sling were probably the only things stopping them.

"Told you," Nemuri whispered under her breath.

"We're sorry, we thought you wouldn't get here until later. The food won't be ready for another hour." Eijirou apologized while rubbing the back of his neck. "We were hoping the three of you would join us."

The kid leaned a bit to the side and his eyebrows raised. Shouta followed his gaze back to Hizashi. The blond leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, but he nodded. The erasure hero turned back to his student.

"Thank you, that's very considerate."

Eijirou's smile nearly blinded him and he and Katsuki retreated back into the kitchen. He turned to head toward his room when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Would you like to stay out here with us?" Izuku asked.

The voice hero chuckled.

"That's probably a good idea. If you go to your room, you'll just sleep through dinner."

"It's the most logical thing to do, sensei," Hitoshi called out.

Shouta couldn't help but sigh, practically hearing the smirk in Hitoshi's voice. They were probably right, anyway.

"All right."

Ochako instantly stood up and headed toward her classmates at the tables.

"You can have my spot, sensei! I need to finish some homework anyway."

"Speaking of homework," Kaminari spoke up from his end of the table, "Mic-sensei, do you think you could help us with our English?"

Kyouka and Mina's eyes were practically begging the blond to agree. Shouta whipped his head around to look at his friend. Hizashi's jaw clenched. Nemuri walked over to him and grabbed his hand, leaning in and whispering something to him. Hizashi tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and grinned.

"Sure thing, young listeners!"

It may have lacked the enthusiasm the students normally associated with the voice hero, but they perked up nonetheless. Nemuri walked him over to the table and he settled down next to Kaminari, the kid sliding his paper over to his teacher.

Shouta made his way over to the couch and plopped down next to Hitoshi. Izuku perched himself on the arm rest and stared at the television. He could feel Shouto and Fumikage's gaze linger on him before they turned their attention back to the screen. He couldn't even pretend to engage in whatever his students were watching. Weights might as well have been hanging on his eyelids. Slumping back into the cushions, his eyes drooped shut. He was so exhausted that he barely registered leaning to the side until he practically fell on Hitoshi.

"Sorry…." he mumbled.

He started to sit himself back up until an arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him closer. Sleep claimed him within seconds.

***break***

"Do you want me to wake him up?"

The voice started bringing him out of the darkness, but the warmth surrounding him made him want to dive right back in. Something shifted behind him. Only then did he register the steady rising and falling at his back.

_What the hell?_

His eyes fluttered open. Hizashi loomed over him, cracking a smile when his friend awoke.

"Never mind."

"Is he awake?"

Shouta's brow furrowed when he felt a slight vibration behind him at the question. When he turned his head, he realized he was laying against Hitoshi's chest. His eyes widened and he immediately gripped the back of the couch, all of his muscles screaming in protest.

"I'm sorry, Shinsou," he apologized as he tried to sit himself up.

A pair of arms wrapped around him and kept him in place.

"Don't apologize," Hitoshi said, "and don't get up until you're ready. We don't want you straining yourself."

Shouta slowly relaxed against the teen, the exhaustion of the day's events leaving him no other options. He couldn't deny the fact that he was comfortable, though. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes again, he noticed the common area was practically empty, but he could hear the commotion coming from the kitchen.

"You could've left me here and gotten your food," he yawned, rubbing his eyes with his good hand.

"I didn't want to wake you. You looked like you needed the sleep."

_This kid._

He rested his arm on his stomach, noting the soft material bunching up under his fingers. Apparently, someone had taken the liberty of draping an All Might blanket over him. His injured leg was even elevated on a pillow.

_These damn kids._

He wasn't sure how long he was lying there, but he knew he needed to get up and eat. As if Hizashi could read his mind, he stepped closer to the couch.

"Need a hand?"

Shouta nodded. The two helped him finally sit up as the noise from the kitchen started migrating back into the common area. The students carried in their dinner and settled down at the tables.

"Aizawa-sensei!" Tenya called as he walked in carrying two bowls. "I got you some food, and Bakugou made plenty if you want more!"

"Thanks," he grunted as the voice hero helped him to his feet.

"I'll get you a bowl, Mic-sensei," Hitoshi said as he jumped up from the couch and headed into the kitchen.

The kid was gone before the blond could open his mouth, but there was no missing the appreciative grin spreading across his face. The two heroes made their way toward the tables.

Suddenly, Shouta stopped.

Hizashi followed suit, at first, neither one saying a word. Then his friend put a hand on his arm.

"Is everything all right, Sho'?"

The homeroom teacher gazed at his class.

_They're all here. They're all safe._

He looked back to his best friend. He took in Hizashi's bloodshot eyes, his long slightly tangled hair, the tension that still hadn't left his shoulders. He didn't want to consider how long it was going to take the voice hero to truly move past and recover from the events of this operation.

_These are your students, too, Hizashi. I don't know what you're feeling right now, but these kids still look up to you. They know you'll protect them. You might not believe it right now, but…._

"It will be."

The two heroes joined their students, knowing whatever might lie ahead of them, they all would progress together.

**And there it is! I certainly you all enjoyed the fluff in this chapter! The idea of Class A taking care of their homeroom teacher (dad) absolutely melts my heart, so I couldn't help but include it. Also, there was no way in hell I was skipping an interaction between Shouta and Tensei. There just isn't enough content about those two together and there really needs to be more.**

**Thank you all for the response to this story and sticking with me through this! I've got so many oneshots and fics in the works, so I'll be around for a while!**

**Until then,**

**alightintheshadows**


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